The Father 2020

In today's environment of bottomless new content competing for my attention, I really struggle to find reasons to re-watch anything. The siren call of the new and unknown, brimming with potential greatness, will inevitably win out over the familiar. However, the one exception to this rule is when I have opportunities to watch things with others. After all, what is the purpose of trekking out into the unknown if I don't share what I discover. With that said, this was a re-watch for me, as my mother was visiting and was looking to watch a movie. This film had really resonated with me and I thought she would connect with its story as well.

I wasn't writing reviews at the time of my first watch, so I figured I'd circle back with a brief write-up. If you're unaware, this film is based on a stage play, so you should be prepared for a very small, dialogue driven story. That said, the clever central conceit (our perspective mirroring the unreliable perception of Hopkins' character as his mind deteriorates with age) provides a backbone of drama and mystery as the story unfolds. It's the perfect blend of high and low concept (a simple narrative twist applied to a dialogue driven character study). Ultimately, the main thing to talk about here is the powerhouse performance of Anthony Hopkins. There's a reason he won an Oscar for this role. His character's arc through the movie feels authentic, with the entire spectrum of human emotions on display. Historically I'm not one to get emotional during movies, but that may be changing, as Hopkins' performance in some of the final scenes of this film definitely had my eyes watering up.

"Why do you keep looking as if there's something wrong? Everything's fine."

I’ve haven’t cried this hard at a movie since 'I'm Thinking of Ending Things'. This is one of those films that just thinking about it or thinking about a specific scene will get my eyes teary. I’m honestly blown away by how moved I was by it. One of the best movies of 2020.

Anthony Hopkins gives one of the best performance since ‘Silence of the Lambs’. You may think that you've seen everything the veteran actor has to offer, but he continues to surprise and amaze us. He broke my heart a thousand times, especially the last five minutes which was some of the most powerful pieces of acting on screen. On the other hand, he’s also incredibly charming and funny as his character that it made him so mesmerizing to watch. I usually don’t care when it comes to awards, but I genuinely hope he gets some recognition at the Oscars with at least a nomination or maybe a win, because he is truly brilliant in this movie.

Olivia Colman, who plays Anthony's daughter, Anne, was also fantastic in the movie. Her facial expressions solid every emotion that the character was feeling and Colman is an expert at it. The pain, frustration, and the overwhelming love she has for her father, as she tries to find ways of helping him. I can’t imagine a more dreadful sight than watching your loved one decay away before your eyes and there’s nothing you can do about it.

While there have been other movies in the past that tackled the topic of dementia and old age on a surface level, where it mainly focuses on how friends and family coop with a significant others condition. However, this movie makes those films look flat in comparison. What makes this movie so different and yet more effective is that it’s told from the perspective of the sufferer. So, his confusion becomes ours. Simple things like switching Olivia Colman with a different actor can have a huge and scary impact, because when this first happened I was stunned, but I quickly realise this is the devastating reality of the disease where people you once knew start to look alienating to you.

Director Florian Zeller dose an excellent job of placing you in the shoes of someone going through dementia and have a better understanding of how the disease can affect you. Any other film marker would’ve done the predictable approach, which is to go over the top with the possibilities of presenting a surreal nightmare with flashy visuals, as a way to show off crazy camera work and digital effects, but Zeller instead keeps things grounded enough while in the imaginary world inside the characters head. It’s true what they say, less is more.

The movie is purposely structured and edited in a disorganised lucid dream-like manner, where certain elements such as the mention of names and the appearance of faces are a mystery to us just like the main character. Who are these people? Why is everything so mysterious? When you try to piece things together with the collection of scattered memories of events, it then gets shuffled around. Although, the movie isn’t as complicated as it may sound, it's just not straight forward narrative wise.

It was like watching a horror movie at times with the horrific effects of dementia. Your brain, metaphorically, is like a tree branch filled with leaves, but eventually with the slow effect of the disease, you will lose your leaves.

Overall rating: A magnificent movie that helps us understand the struggle and experience of dementia that was executed with extra care. It also goes beyond that in many different ways that I have yet to unlock in my first viewing. It’s a movie that I will never forget.

This film is tough & painful to watch, but impactful. The story is about an old man, Anthony, going through age-related dementia. We can see the fairly rapid progression from his perspective. Confusion, disorientation, mood swings, memories, and time blend from day to day, moment to moment. He loses his sense of reality and struggles to stay in the moment. We become part of his hallucinations, seeing it as how he would glimpse things. It’s very unsettling and heartbreaking to see in action. For the first time since I have been reviewing movies, I don’t have much to say. I usually have to restrain myself from writing too long reviews, often removing sentences/thoughts altogether to keep them short. I can’t stop talking about films if I like them. However, this time, I am struggling for words; I don’t think words can do this film justice.

So, I will shift focus to the technicals. Anthony Hopkins is a legend, who won an Oscar for Best Actor here (at age 83, the oldest ever). I was distraught by his acting. It felt real to me, making me forget I was watching a movie. Olivia Colman, who plays his daughter Anne, also had outstanding acting as she struggles to make sense of the situation. The writing, editing, directing, and cinematography are excellent. The screenplay is original. Typically, films like these focus on people around the patient rather than on the actual patient. Florian Zeller, the director, made this film with only Hopkins in mind. I don’t think anyone else can pull this off at that age, outside of perhaps 4-5 living actors from the film universe. From the ones I know, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Amitabh Bachchan, Ian McKellen, and Patrick Stewart. None would probably be as good as Hopkins.

Would I recommend this? Yes. However, it’s important to note that it’s depressing to watch. It stays with you long after you finish watching. Aging is challenging to deal with, but we all must go through it, rain or shine.

8.5/10