The Father (2020)

Review

97min

Genre:       Drama

Director:     Florian Zeller

Cast:         Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Rufus Sewell…and more

Writers:     Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton

-Synopsis-

When an elderly British man refuses to let his cognitive condition control his life and denies help from his worried daughter, his deteriorating mind begins to cast doubt over his loved ones as he struggles to recognise friend from perceived foe in a spacious London flat, while his identity and independence slowly slip away.

In one of the most disruptive years in film history and over a month after the Oscars recognised it with multiple nominations and two wins, British audiences are finally treated to one of the finest films of the last twelve months as Florian Zeller makes his directorial debut by adapting his own acclaimed 2012 stage play ‘Le Père’—previously made into 2015 French drama ‘Florida’—delivering a hugely personal and poignant family drama and masterfully placing the audience into an ailing mind to paint a powerful portrait of dementia you won’t soon forget.

The great Anthony Hopkins stars as elderly British widower ‘Anthony’, suffering from the effects of progressing dementia and resisting the attentions of his worrying but doting daughter ‘Anne’ (Olivia Colman) and her husband ‘Paul’ (Rufus Sewell), while stuck in a well-appointed North London flat. But his increasingly muddled world becomes even more confusing when the strange faces of ‘The Woman’ (Olivia Williams) and ‘The Man’ (Mark Gatiss) begin to blend with his memories, and the latest in a long line of carers ‘Laura’ (Imogen Poots) arrives, as his grip on reality and time begins to slip while heading towards his greatest fear—losing his home.

Despite the effectiveness of a good psychological thriller or a supernatural horror, there are few films which can hit harder for adult and more mature audiences than a well-made drama depicting the inescapable ravages of physical and psychological decline. And we can think of few better examples of this than ‘The Father’.

Whereas most screen depictions of dementia, or indeed mental illness or dissociative disorders, are framed from the outside looking in and seen from the perspective of an observer, Zeller’s genius with ‘The Father’ is placing the audience in the shoes and indeed the mind of the protagonist. As a result, the writer/director puts us in the deteriorating mind-space of a man increasingly detached from reality, memory, and time, leaving us as confused and disorientated as Anthony yet completely engrossed with arguably the most creative cinematic handling of a real and serious condition in recent memory. And the result is somehow warm and personal whilst simultaneously frightening and heart-wrenching.

When it comes to the style stakes, Zeller can rely on some simple but clever production designs to dress and redress the film’s pivotal London flat—both a haven and a prison for the titular character—which is a key visual component to help reflect Anthony’s state of mind and how he sees a world around him, where memories and experiences blur into each other. Meanwhile a combination of classical compositions and a sumptuous complementary score from Ludovico Einaudi (Samba, Nomadland) help to both set the mood and play a part in the narrative itself.

But in the end ‘The Father’ can only rise or fall on the strength of its Welsh star’s central performance, and thanks to yet another memorable turn from the masterful Sir Tony Hopkins, arguably his best in recent memory, Zeller’s debut does well and truly soar.

Aided by a typically heartfelt supporting turn from Olivia Colman, not to mention notable contributions from the likes of Rufus Sewell and Olivia Williams, Hopkins delivers a powerhouse performance befitting his stage in life and career. One which despite the instinct to honour the late Chadwick Boseman’s powerful final performance in ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ at April’s Academy Awards, more than merits his leading actor win. . . albeit in an undersubscribed year for film.

Hopkins and his writer/director work in unison to masterfully draw out a character whose condition turns him increasingly into a solitary figure of fear, confusion, and suspicion, as even the closest people around become impositions on his sovereignty and a threat to his freedom. In the end they deliver a non-linear, mildly Hitchcockian and occasionally meandering chambre piece which perfectly reflects the state of mind of its protagonist, stirring the soul and wrenching the heart of the spectator with skill and subtlety along the way.

At its most powerful though, ‘The Father’ is a beautiful but frightening realist meditation on the horrors of dementia; for both the afflicted who become helplessly trapped in their own mind while the world around them slowly slips away, and for the people around them who ostensibly learn to mourn the loss of a loved one . . . well before they’re physically gone.

The Bottom Line…

Aided by a towering lead performance and a novel cinematic approach to cognitive decline, Florian Zeller’s personal and poignant feature debut paints an immersive and intimate yet powerful portrait of dementia you won’t be able to easily shake off—so prepare your souls for stirring and hearts for wrenching by one of the very finest films of the pandemic era so far.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Still Alice (2014)

When an accomplished middle-aged professor of linguistics and family matriarch is unexpectedly diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, her family struggles to cope with her deteriorating condition as she fights to retain what is left of her true self in this poignant reflective dementia drama.

Directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland and starring Julianne Moore, Kristen Stewart and Alec Baldwin among others.

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