MOVIE REVIEW: THE FATHER

 

A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.

Director: Florian Zeller

Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss, Imogen Poots, Rufus Sewell, Olivia Williams

Release Date: February 26, 2021

Genre: Drama

Rated PG-13 for some strong language, and thematic material

Runtime: 1 h 37 min

Review:

The Father is a twisty poetic character study of a man experiencing dementia from his point of view.  Florian Zeller, adapting his own stage play, builds his film with a disorienting structure which works wonderfully by putting the audience in the main character’s mind.  Events are replayed or rerun with slight variations that leave you questioning which version of reality is actually real.  This is the type of film that benefits from its structure but is carried by its performers.  Zeller provides Anthony Hopkins a stage and he runs with it by delivering one of the best performances of his storied career.  Hopkins runs a master class in acting from start to finish.  There are multiple moments where he moves through a series of emotions with such ease and authenticity that you have to marvel at his talents.  It’s the type of the performance that will be used in acting classes for years to come.  The supporting cast is made up strong actors who are more than capable at holding their own on the screen with Hopkins.  Olivia Colman gets the largest portion of the load and she does well, always keeping everything grounded and painfully real. There are a bevy of these type of prestige films that pop up every year with varying results, Florian Zeller’s The Father works on multiple levels while providing a showcase to a legendary living legend.

A