THE FATHER
2021 | Dir. Florian Zeller | 97 Minutes
"I feel as if I'm losing all my leaves."
2021 | Dir. Florian Zeller | 97 Minutes
"I feel as if I'm losing all my leaves."
An elderly man named Anthony gradually loses his sense of time and place but he rejects his daughter's attempts to provide him with adequate care. As Anthony's condition worsens, he begins to constantly question his surroundings, to wonder why his younger daughter hasn't been in touch, and to suspect that his wristwatch was stolen from him.
French playwright and theatre director Florian Zeller's cinematic debut, The Father is a heart-wrenching drama centered on the tragic struggle of a fiercely independent man seemingly becoming unstuck from time. Adapted from Zeller's acclaimed stage play Le Père, the script is briskly paced and emotionally devastating, offering an intimate glimpse into a deteriorating mind. While the picture is disorienting by design, it is never difficult to follow on an emotional level as the narrative is skillfully presented to the audience strictly from the lead character's perspective. Viewers feel just as confused as Anthony when the identities of the people populating his flat become unclear and sudden seemingly unexplained changes to the furnishings occur.
While the symbolism of a lost wristwatch or a skipping opera CD isn't exactly subtle, they are effective clues that scenes are playing out in ways that are not as they seem. Little by little, it is made clear to the audience through hints in the production design that moments are presented out of chronological order. The clever set design utilizes the same spatial layout for multiple locations and subtleties in the cast's wardrobe allow more observant viewers to deduct the reality of Anthony's increasingly unreliable perspective before the climatic reveal. The most exceptional moment of the film is an intense dinner scene in the middle of the film that startlingly loops its end back to the beginning of the scene, a beautifully written and performed sequence realized by exceptionally crafty editing.
Despite his increasing erratic behavior, it is never difficult to empathize with the eponymous father as Anthony Hopkins gives one of his best performance ever in the lead role, compellingly alternating from forceful to assertive to charming to befuddled to vulnerable, and ultimately, to heartbroken. Much of Hopkins' performance is enhanced by Olivia Colman's excellent work as hapless daughter Anne, able to exude a plethora of emotions within a single close-up of her face, constantly broadcasting the sad reality that her character's father is unable to perceive. As Anne's ill-tempered boyfriend Paul, the one character in the film that doesn't bother to hide their impatience for the old man, Rufus Sewell is convincingly cruel. The cast also features Mark Gatiss, Olivia Williams, and Imogen Poots in brief but memorable roles.
The Father is a deeply moving film elevated by brilliant performances from its outstanding cast and inventive technical craftsmanship. It is an intimate picture that tells an extremely relatable story about the fragility of the human mind and the brutality of memory and time, potentially hitting close to home for anyone with a family member suffering from dementia.
FRAGMENTS
- Olivia Coleman and Mark Gatiss starred in 2019 Best Picture Nominee The Favourite
- Writer/director Florian Zeller wanted Anthony Hopkins specifically for the lead part in this film adaptation, considering no other actor for the role, even naming the lead character Anthony in the screenplay
- The character Anthony's date of birth, December 31, 1937, is Anthony Hopkins' actual date of birth
MCU CONNECTIONS
- Anthony Hopkins (Odin in Thor, Thor: The Dark World, and Thor: Ragnarok)
