Film Screening and Discussion: Robot & Frank

FILM SUMMARY

In the near future, Frank is a retired cat burglar living alone while his successful son, Hunter, tries to care for him from afar. Finally, Hunter gets him a robot caretaker, but Frank soon learns that it is as useful as a burglary aide. As Frank tries to restart his old profession, the uncomfortable realities of a changing world and his worsening dementia threaten to take beyond what any reboot can do for him. Rated PG-13. Run time: 1 hr 29 min.

ABOUT POST FILM DISCUSSION LEADERS JACOB HOEFER AND MATT SMITH

Jacob Hoefer has acclimated to central New Jersey like a tomato to acidic soil. A Rutgers-trained full-stack engineer who found an unexpected calling running Dungeons & Dragons games in Lawrenceville, Jacob is a lover of art history, musical soundtracks, and genre fiction (which he wishes we’d take both more and less seriously). When he isn't wishing he had more time for ASL practice or studying Kanji for an upcoming trip to Japan with Matt, he’s showing off his five Ursula K. Le Guin tattoos. He is a firm believer that community-centered library programs are what keep his feet on the ground.

Matt Smith has served as Organist and Choirmaster at Haddonfield UMC since 2021. An award-winning organist and graduate of Westminster Choir College, he frequently collaborates with regional ensembles like the Atlantic Brass Band and the Allentown Symphony Orchestra. Outside of music, Matt is a dedicated book collector and bibliophile who has worked at Labyrinth Books and currently volunteers at Bookhaven in Philadelphia.

This event is part of our 2026 Beyond the Page – an initiative designed to broaden our imaginations and understanding of our world, our neighbors, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. The featured book Exhalation contains nine stunningly original, provocative, and poignant stories, where author Ted Chiang tackles some of humanity’s oldest questions, along with new quandaries only he could imagine. Please visit PenningtonLibrary.org/2026BeyondThePage for a full calendar of events and more information.

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Host or Publisher Pennington Public Library