This movie brings you inside the mind of someone losing their memories and recognition of those around them. In another genre, what happens here could just as well take place in a horror film. The fascinating thing about the story as it unfolds is that as the viewer, there comes a point where you begin to question whether what you're seeing is what the principal character is experiencing, or whether it's a figment of Anthony's (Anthony Hopkins) imagination. The distinction between his reality and the reveries that make up his daily existence sort of blend together in a way that confound the senses. Hopkins is extraordinary in the role, and if this is his last chance to earn an Oscar for Best Actor, then it's a darn good one in a field with some significant competition. Olivia Colman as Anthony's struggling daughter expresses all the concern and frustration that comes with being the primary caregiver for her dementia stricken father, and there are somber moments in the picture when you want to cry along with her over the hopelessness of both his and her situation. As a harbinger of what might happen to anyone as we all approach those senior twilight years, the film can be a depressing experience, only somewhat mitigated by the care and concern that dedicated health care workers are able to provide in an institutional setting. As tender and comforting as the closing scene is, it's one that will break the heart of anyone who's been through a similar experience.
1,085 Reviews
How does one respond when they cannot know reality?
joshuaporteous22 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
How does one respond when they cannot know reality? This is the main question of the Father.
The Father is adapted from director Florian Zeller's stage play by the same name. The story centers on Anthony (Anthony Hopkins), an aging man who slowly loses his grip on reality due to dementia. His daughter Anne (Olivia Colman) does her best to care for him, but she too has a life she wants to live-her boyfriend Paul (Rufus Sewell) has asked her to move to Paris with him. Anne struggles to find an aid who can handle her father, so that she can get on with her life. Zeller shared that his inspiration for the film was watching his grandmother, who raised him, pass away from dementia. You can feel the emotion coming through every part of the film.
The movie starts with Anne confronting Anthony for chasing off the last assistant. Anthony claims he did it because she stole his watch. Anne patiently reminds him that he put it in his hiding place. She goes and finds the watch in his "secret" hiding place. At first, we are able to chuckle about the situation, but we soon become just as confused as Anthony. The tone of the movie shifts when Anthony stumbles upon a man in his flat who claims to be married to his daughter. He waits for Anne to return from the store to sort things out, but when she arrives, she is a different woman entirely.
The rest of film has confusing moments like this. Once you think you have sorted things out, they are flipped again. I watched this at the premier at Sundance, and during the Q & A after the film, a woman asked if Anne went to Paris with Paul or not. Zeller responded that we don't know that answer, the answer is not what is important. Zeller stated that he wanted us to be as confused as Anthony and give up on trying to sort things out and just feel. And feel we do.
Anthony Hopkins performance drove the emotion. His masterful control of minor expressions and vocal nuance intensified the whole film. I would not be surprised if he wins best actor next year. Zeller admitted that he named the character "Anthony," because he wanted Anthony Hopkins to play the part. (The part was literally written for him.) Anthony's emotions swing in the film driven by his loss of memory and disorientation to events. Everyone seems to be on edge, not knowing how Anthony will respond. One moment he is happy, the next he is distressed. This comes out strongly when Anthony meets Laura (Imogen Poots) for the first time. Laura is a young woman who Anne has set up as Anthony's new caregiver. Anthony begins telling Laura how he used to be a tap-dancer. The scene is funny, and Laura laughs throughout. Suddenly, Anthony remarks that Laura reminds him of his other daughter, because of her inane laughter-and the mood has swung.
The key question in the audiences mind is "What is reality?" Zeller disorients Anthony and the audience by having different actors play the same characters, then switching back. Zeller rearranges the same apartment, so we are unsure where we are-Anthony's apartment or Anne's. Anthony tells different versions of his career, and we even seem to experience events out of order. The only thing we are certain of is that they don't even speak English in Paris!
This is not to say that there are multiple realities, but that Anthony cannot access what the true reality is. As the audience, we become like Anthony-confused. We do not know what his daughter looks like or if she is married. If she is, which man is her husband? However, this confusion over reality is meant to push us beyond discovering the truth and just feeling the helplessness of someone suffering from dementia. And to this point, it works.
But, it takes us beyond this. By the end of the film we are all confused. We cannot access what reality is, and now it is time for us to ask, "How do we respond?" The film has its answer, but I'll leave it up to you to feel if you agree. This is one film that has to be watched to appreciate, because it focuses on the feeling of the experience and not the truth of the experience.
A couple extra notes: First, Zeller shared that the classical music that Anthony listens to throughout the film is Hopkins's favorite music. Hopkins always wanted to be in a movie that used this music, and now he got the chance.
Second, often movies adapted from stage plays can feel very confined and unnatural to the screen. Events that would naturally lead a character elsewhere seems to falsely confine them to that space, since the play needs to keep them there. However, Zeller does a nice job at expanding the world and making the small space feel new. Most of the film takes place in the apartment, but because of the rearrangement and use of different rooms in the apartment, it feels larger and natural.
The Father is adapted from director Florian Zeller's stage play by the same name. The story centers on Anthony (Anthony Hopkins), an aging man who slowly loses his grip on reality due to dementia. His daughter Anne (Olivia Colman) does her best to care for him, but she too has a life she wants to live-her boyfriend Paul (Rufus Sewell) has asked her to move to Paris with him. Anne struggles to find an aid who can handle her father, so that she can get on with her life. Zeller shared that his inspiration for the film was watching his grandmother, who raised him, pass away from dementia. You can feel the emotion coming through every part of the film.
The movie starts with Anne confronting Anthony for chasing off the last assistant. Anthony claims he did it because she stole his watch. Anne patiently reminds him that he put it in his hiding place. She goes and finds the watch in his "secret" hiding place. At first, we are able to chuckle about the situation, but we soon become just as confused as Anthony. The tone of the movie shifts when Anthony stumbles upon a man in his flat who claims to be married to his daughter. He waits for Anne to return from the store to sort things out, but when she arrives, she is a different woman entirely.
The rest of film has confusing moments like this. Once you think you have sorted things out, they are flipped again. I watched this at the premier at Sundance, and during the Q & A after the film, a woman asked if Anne went to Paris with Paul or not. Zeller responded that we don't know that answer, the answer is not what is important. Zeller stated that he wanted us to be as confused as Anthony and give up on trying to sort things out and just feel. And feel we do.
Anthony Hopkins performance drove the emotion. His masterful control of minor expressions and vocal nuance intensified the whole film. I would not be surprised if he wins best actor next year. Zeller admitted that he named the character "Anthony," because he wanted Anthony Hopkins to play the part. (The part was literally written for him.) Anthony's emotions swing in the film driven by his loss of memory and disorientation to events. Everyone seems to be on edge, not knowing how Anthony will respond. One moment he is happy, the next he is distressed. This comes out strongly when Anthony meets Laura (Imogen Poots) for the first time. Laura is a young woman who Anne has set up as Anthony's new caregiver. Anthony begins telling Laura how he used to be a tap-dancer. The scene is funny, and Laura laughs throughout. Suddenly, Anthony remarks that Laura reminds him of his other daughter, because of her inane laughter-and the mood has swung.
The key question in the audiences mind is "What is reality?" Zeller disorients Anthony and the audience by having different actors play the same characters, then switching back. Zeller rearranges the same apartment, so we are unsure where we are-Anthony's apartment or Anne's. Anthony tells different versions of his career, and we even seem to experience events out of order. The only thing we are certain of is that they don't even speak English in Paris!
This is not to say that there are multiple realities, but that Anthony cannot access what the true reality is. As the audience, we become like Anthony-confused. We do not know what his daughter looks like or if she is married. If she is, which man is her husband? However, this confusion over reality is meant to push us beyond discovering the truth and just feeling the helplessness of someone suffering from dementia. And to this point, it works.
But, it takes us beyond this. By the end of the film we are all confused. We cannot access what reality is, and now it is time for us to ask, "How do we respond?" The film has its answer, but I'll leave it up to you to feel if you agree. This is one film that has to be watched to appreciate, because it focuses on the feeling of the experience and not the truth of the experience.
A couple extra notes: First, Zeller shared that the classical music that Anthony listens to throughout the film is Hopkins's favorite music. Hopkins always wanted to be in a movie that used this music, and now he got the chance.
Second, often movies adapted from stage plays can feel very confined and unnatural to the screen. Events that would naturally lead a character elsewhere seems to falsely confine them to that space, since the play needs to keep them there. However, Zeller does a nice job at expanding the world and making the small space feel new. Most of the film takes place in the apartment, but because of the rearrangement and use of different rooms in the apartment, it feels larger and natural.
Something I'll never forget
R4J4P17 September 2020
This is a film that stays with you. Of course there's the brilliant performances but there's more. While other films have taken on old age and dementia, those films took on coping with a significant other's condition. The difference here is that the film is from the sufferer's perspective. You therefore see these events as if you yourself have dementia. And it's stunning how, when you walk away, you know you can.
So good I never want to watch it again
alexpn6614 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The Father might be the saddest film I've ever seen. With a heartbreaking powerhouse of a performance, Anthony Hopkins is at his absolute best. This puts you in the shoes of a man whose mind is deteriorating. I fully recommend that everyone see this movie. As great as it is, it is not one I want to rewatch anytime soon.
This movie will haunt me for awhile.
danielwcassidy19 March 2021
It's just so sad and also a bit terrifying. My wife works as a nurse in an alzheimer's ward, and she said this is the most realistic depiction of the disease she has ever seen. She also said in her opinion it should be required viewing for anyone that works with alzheimer's or dementia patients. What a movie!
A look at dementia from the opposite angle.
TxMike2 August 2021
This movie was shot in May 2019 just a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic was recognized. The writer-director says he wrote this with Anthony Hopkins, who was 81, in mind. The movie has a number of well established actors but the story's impact depends on Hopkins and he achieves this as very few might be able to do.
Usually movies dealing with aging and dementia depict it from the points of view of all the others around, friends, family members, medical personnel. This does the opposite, it depicts it from the point of view of the afflicted person. As such I found myself totally confused after about 20 minutes but eventually understood why it had to be this way. We are seeing what Anthony (character's name) sees and experiences, the confusion as to where he is and his failure to recognize people he knows.
In many ways this is a hard movie to watch because we know people who have gone through dementia and its inevitable end, or know people who are in the early stages of it. For that reason my wife chose not to watch this movie.
For the subject matter it is a very good movie.
Usually movies dealing with aging and dementia depict it from the points of view of all the others around, friends, family members, medical personnel. This does the opposite, it depicts it from the point of view of the afflicted person. As such I found myself totally confused after about 20 minutes but eventually understood why it had to be this way. We are seeing what Anthony (character's name) sees and experiences, the confusion as to where he is and his failure to recognize people he knows.
In many ways this is a hard movie to watch because we know people who have gone through dementia and its inevitable end, or know people who are in the early stages of it. For that reason my wife chose not to watch this movie.
For the subject matter it is a very good movie.
So close to perfect and so personal
waltermwilliams12 April 2021
This is one of the hardest movie reviews I've ever had to write in my life.
Mainly because of the films subject matter, Dementia.
I've seen my own father succumb to this dreaded disease and it scares the hell out of my, worse than any horror movie I've watched.
I sadly remember some of the last words my own father spoke to me were, "Be a good boy at School today." I was 46 at the time.
The beauty of "The Father" is how Director, Florian Zeller, takes you into this descent of losing your grip on reality through the eyes of the marvellous veteran and Academy Award wining actor, Sir Anthony Hopkins.
At times his character Anthony is part Hannibal Lecter and at others a peaceful, but confused ageing Father to Olivia Colmans, Anne.
Another Academy Award winner who puts in a highly believable performance as his daughter who's trying to deal with helping a man who refuses to accept assistance from her or carers.
Fun Fact: Colman was named Anne is both roles she's been Oscar nominated for.
Also great supporting roles form Mark Gatiss, Olivia Williams, Imogen Poots and Rufus Sewell.
Overall "The Father" has been nominated for 6 Oscars, after already having over 20 wins in other awards and once you've seen this film you'll know why it deserves to win in Hollywood.
At 83, Hopkins, is the oldest winner of a Best Male Actor BAFTA and a dark horse to scoop up the big one.
This film feels like everything he has learnt in his craft is on display effortlessly for 97 minutes.
It's hard to believe this is Zellers' feature film directorial debut, because it's a masterclass in cinema adapted from his own acclaimed play "Le Pere" from 2012.
The role of Anthony was specifically written for Hopkins.
One of the things that got the living legend to agree to this film apart from the top shelf script (adapted by Christopher Hampton) was the inclusion of one of Hopkins favourite pieces of music from Georges Bizet Opera "The Pearl Fishers".
He's always dreamt of making a movie with this music in it.
With lines from Anthony like: "I feel as if I'm losing all my leaves" "The Father" is so close to perfect I'm giving it 10 stars.
Mainly because of the films subject matter, Dementia.
I've seen my own father succumb to this dreaded disease and it scares the hell out of my, worse than any horror movie I've watched.
I sadly remember some of the last words my own father spoke to me were, "Be a good boy at School today." I was 46 at the time.
The beauty of "The Father" is how Director, Florian Zeller, takes you into this descent of losing your grip on reality through the eyes of the marvellous veteran and Academy Award wining actor, Sir Anthony Hopkins.
At times his character Anthony is part Hannibal Lecter and at others a peaceful, but confused ageing Father to Olivia Colmans, Anne.
Another Academy Award winner who puts in a highly believable performance as his daughter who's trying to deal with helping a man who refuses to accept assistance from her or carers.
Fun Fact: Colman was named Anne is both roles she's been Oscar nominated for.
Also great supporting roles form Mark Gatiss, Olivia Williams, Imogen Poots and Rufus Sewell.
Overall "The Father" has been nominated for 6 Oscars, after already having over 20 wins in other awards and once you've seen this film you'll know why it deserves to win in Hollywood.
At 83, Hopkins, is the oldest winner of a Best Male Actor BAFTA and a dark horse to scoop up the big one.
This film feels like everything he has learnt in his craft is on display effortlessly for 97 minutes.
It's hard to believe this is Zellers' feature film directorial debut, because it's a masterclass in cinema adapted from his own acclaimed play "Le Pere" from 2012.
The role of Anthony was specifically written for Hopkins.
One of the things that got the living legend to agree to this film apart from the top shelf script (adapted by Christopher Hampton) was the inclusion of one of Hopkins favourite pieces of music from Georges Bizet Opera "The Pearl Fishers".
He's always dreamt of making a movie with this music in it.
With lines from Anthony like: "I feel as if I'm losing all my leaves" "The Father" is so close to perfect I'm giving it 10 stars.
Hard to watch at times, but essential viewing.
Sleepin_Dragon22 December 2022
Anthony refuses to accept any help from his daughter Anne, or any family members, Anthony's confusion increases, he's battling dementia.
A powerhouse performance from Anthony Hopkins, this film is outstanding in almost every avenue. It came as no surprise that Hopkins was chosen for the part, he delivers a stellar performance, you'll feel Anthony's frustrations, hurt, and now and then you'll chuckle with him.
If you know someone with, or have cared for someone that suffers with dementia, you will spot so many of the little signals and quirks here.
This film is so incredibly realised, when you see dementia sufferers on the big screen, you normally get the view point of the friend or loved one affected by it, here you see the effect from the sufferer's point of view.
There's a degree of originality about this film that sets it apart, it is without a doubt, one of the best films from the last two decades.
10/10.
A powerhouse performance from Anthony Hopkins, this film is outstanding in almost every avenue. It came as no surprise that Hopkins was chosen for the part, he delivers a stellar performance, you'll feel Anthony's frustrations, hurt, and now and then you'll chuckle with him.
If you know someone with, or have cared for someone that suffers with dementia, you will spot so many of the little signals and quirks here.
This film is so incredibly realised, when you see dementia sufferers on the big screen, you normally get the view point of the friend or loved one affected by it, here you see the effect from the sufferer's point of view.
There's a degree of originality about this film that sets it apart, it is without a doubt, one of the best films from the last two decades.
10/10.
Brilliant...
sinefilcinephile3 April 2021
Give Anthony Hopkins the Oscar on April 26. He gives you the best performance of the decade. An old man with dementia loses his ties to reality. His mind deteriorates, and reality stops making any sense. This movie will haunt you, especially if you have a relative with dementia. Such a heartbreaking movie. ABSOLUTELY the best movie of the year and the best performance of the year by Hopkins.
Masterpiece
uluogulcan3 April 2021
There is not much to say about the movie. We've watched an acting lesson from the master, Anthony Hopkins for 90 minutes and I was just speechless at the end with the contribution of the soundtrack from another master Ludovico Einaudi.
It was such a realistic drama reminding me my beloved grandfather that I've lost few years ago. It should definitely win the Oscar.
It was such a realistic drama reminding me my beloved grandfather that I've lost few years ago. It should definitely win the Oscar.
Well-acted dementia drama
bastille-852-73154711 October 2020
I'm a big fan of Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman, so I was really looking forward to this one after it got rave reviews out of Sundance. This film is based on a stage play, and centers around a woman in a relationship who visits her aging father, who is beginning to show signs of dementia, in London due to concerns that he can no longer take care of herself. Narratively, it's not always as memorable as one would hope, but the strong performances and careful direction carry the film home at the end of the day and overall craft something certainly worth watching.
Anthony Hopkins is undoubtedly terrific here. He is able to convey both frailty yet genuine shock and empathy, while trying to better understand those around him that even he regularly connects with. Colman's performance is compassionate yet multi-layered, conveying clear emotional depth. The film's aesthetic is simple, modest and unpretentious, yet it manages to skillfully and quietly play a role within the film as a whole by adding to an atmosphere of confusion about what is real and what is not real due to Hopkins' character's dementia. The screenplay is generally well-written, but the dialogue is not quite as sharp or powerful as one would hope. Despite a fleeting running time, the film is leisurely paced, which is fine because it allows viewers the ability to take in the details of the characters' interpersonal relations. Yet while very moving in parts, the story doesn't quite build up to a true emotional crescendo that one would expect from a powerful, character-driven drama. That said, the acting combined with a thoughtful tone of generally subdued reverence makes the film very worthwhile viewing. 7.5/10
Anthony Hopkins is undoubtedly terrific here. He is able to convey both frailty yet genuine shock and empathy, while trying to better understand those around him that even he regularly connects with. Colman's performance is compassionate yet multi-layered, conveying clear emotional depth. The film's aesthetic is simple, modest and unpretentious, yet it manages to skillfully and quietly play a role within the film as a whole by adding to an atmosphere of confusion about what is real and what is not real due to Hopkins' character's dementia. The screenplay is generally well-written, but the dialogue is not quite as sharp or powerful as one would hope. Despite a fleeting running time, the film is leisurely paced, which is fine because it allows viewers the ability to take in the details of the characters' interpersonal relations. Yet while very moving in parts, the story doesn't quite build up to a true emotional crescendo that one would expect from a powerful, character-driven drama. That said, the acting combined with a thoughtful tone of generally subdued reverence makes the film very worthwhile viewing. 7.5/10
Another Oscar winning performance by one of the greatest actors of our time, Anthony Hopkins
Beach412-127 February 2021
Anthony Hopkins easily the greatest actor of our times in his gut wrenching portrayal of a man suffering from Alzheimer's. Seamlessly expressing ranges of humanity from Hannibal the monster in The Silence of the Lambs to his latest nominated role in The Father as he slowly slides into the horror of this father as he loses his mind witnessed primarily through his caregiving daughter portrayed by the brilliant Olivia Colman. The sliding in and out of his past and present flows beautifully through the steady direction of writer/director Florian Zeller an acclaimed playwrite from France, breaks your heart, terrorizes you as you travel through his life's trauma giving way to his rage as it seethes through every expression from a long life survived as he's losing his grip on reality. Nominated for 4 Golden Globes.
Important issue but upper class view of solutions
jfurler18 September 2021
Great acting and engaging story but an absolutely class-based depiction of dementia as a challenge for individuals, families and health systems. This is a highly sanitised upper class private health care view of dementia care. Having lived through my grandfather and father-in-law dying of dementia and working as a GP in Australia in a disadvantaged community I can tell you the choices and options facing most families are much more acute and problematic than this. This is a well acted sanitised upper class view of dementia as a community anc health system problem.
Harsh
cynthia-481551 September 2021
Anthony Hopkins extraordinary acting notwithstanding, this is the darkest, harshest and most insensitive portrayal of dementia I've ever encountered. While I appreciate the unusual viewpoint and the attempt to convey the experience of the person with dementia, it is a very partial view at best.
Having lived with dementia in my own family as well as working with dementia patients professionally, this view is incredibly distorted. Most people who have actually cared for someone with dementia would not characterize it so darkly. There are beautiful, loving, and yes, many funny moments. Dementia is always changing with varying degrees of lucidity--which was not shown in the film. And while there may be despairing moments, dementia patients often feel quite jolly. In other words, they have a full range of feelings just like anyone.
But what really stung about this movie was the insensitivity and selfishness of everyone around him. Neither the daughter nor her boy friend had the slightest clue how to respond to someone with memory loss. Their insensitivity was painful. The carer was more on target, and the nurse at the end finally came through in a loving manner.
If the intent was an empathic portrayal of dementia, the result falls far short. The scenes where he was a bit jolly fell kind of flat against all the despair and darkness.
Dementia, which is a progressive malady, is increasingly and incredibly difficult. And yet, everyone I know, myself included, who has stuck it out with a loved one considers it one of the most rewarding experiences of their lives. Even if it does become necessary to put someone in a facility, it is so important for the loving family caregiver role to continue.
This movie could have been so much better if it had been better researched and consulted on by people with actual experience.
Having lived with dementia in my own family as well as working with dementia patients professionally, this view is incredibly distorted. Most people who have actually cared for someone with dementia would not characterize it so darkly. There are beautiful, loving, and yes, many funny moments. Dementia is always changing with varying degrees of lucidity--which was not shown in the film. And while there may be despairing moments, dementia patients often feel quite jolly. In other words, they have a full range of feelings just like anyone.
But what really stung about this movie was the insensitivity and selfishness of everyone around him. Neither the daughter nor her boy friend had the slightest clue how to respond to someone with memory loss. Their insensitivity was painful. The carer was more on target, and the nurse at the end finally came through in a loving manner.
If the intent was an empathic portrayal of dementia, the result falls far short. The scenes where he was a bit jolly fell kind of flat against all the despair and darkness.
Dementia, which is a progressive malady, is increasingly and incredibly difficult. And yet, everyone I know, myself included, who has stuck it out with a loved one considers it one of the most rewarding experiences of their lives. Even if it does become necessary to put someone in a facility, it is so important for the loving family caregiver role to continue.
This movie could have been so much better if it had been better researched and consulted on by people with actual experience.
Excellent but deeply upsetting
neil-4761 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I cannot say what I want to say about this film without spoilers, so please don't read on if you want to find what happens in the film as it unfolds.
Anthony lives in a flat in London. His daughter Anne calls in on him every day. She is upset and worried because Anthony has driven away another care worker, and Anne is about to move to Paris in a new relationship. Anne's husband indicates that the flat is Anne's, not Anthony's. Anne seems to be an entirely different person,, but then she is Anne again. Her husband is someone different though. Some conversations are repeated. Anthony initially charms, then verbally attacks, Laura, a potential new care worker who reminds him of his other daughter, Lucy, who never comes to see him.
We realise early on that Anthony is in the grip of dementia, and through most of the piece, right up to the end, we are wondering hiw much of what we see is real, and how much is Anthony's disintegrating memory betraying him. Ultimately, we never know and it doesn't matter - despite it being very clear how destructive the impact of Anthony's dementia is on Anne (and possibly her busband - was she married? Was it a factor in the marriage breaking up?), what the film shows us is what it might be like inside the mind of someone whose foothold in the real world is increasingly unreliable.
Anthony Hopkins wins a well-deserved 2nd Best Actor Oscar for a portrayal of a character who is initially unlikeable but, by the end, is almost literally a little lost boy. The rest of the cast are also excellent.
Florian Zeller directs this adaptation of his own play (the adapted screenplay also won an Oscar). It is wise, sad, accurate and compassionate. If you and your family have never been touched by dementia then you may well marvel at the clever and kind telling of a worthwhile story, brought to life by a crew of supremely gifted artists.
My family has been touched by dementia on a number of occasions.
At different times, I saw in this film my grandparents, my mother-in-law, my wife, my father, my mother, my brother and myself, and all at times in our lives which could never be called happy. It struck very close to home, and I found it brutal.
Anthony lives in a flat in London. His daughter Anne calls in on him every day. She is upset and worried because Anthony has driven away another care worker, and Anne is about to move to Paris in a new relationship. Anne's husband indicates that the flat is Anne's, not Anthony's. Anne seems to be an entirely different person,, but then she is Anne again. Her husband is someone different though. Some conversations are repeated. Anthony initially charms, then verbally attacks, Laura, a potential new care worker who reminds him of his other daughter, Lucy, who never comes to see him.
We realise early on that Anthony is in the grip of dementia, and through most of the piece, right up to the end, we are wondering hiw much of what we see is real, and how much is Anthony's disintegrating memory betraying him. Ultimately, we never know and it doesn't matter - despite it being very clear how destructive the impact of Anthony's dementia is on Anne (and possibly her busband - was she married? Was it a factor in the marriage breaking up?), what the film shows us is what it might be like inside the mind of someone whose foothold in the real world is increasingly unreliable.
Anthony Hopkins wins a well-deserved 2nd Best Actor Oscar for a portrayal of a character who is initially unlikeable but, by the end, is almost literally a little lost boy. The rest of the cast are also excellent.
Florian Zeller directs this adaptation of his own play (the adapted screenplay also won an Oscar). It is wise, sad, accurate and compassionate. If you and your family have never been touched by dementia then you may well marvel at the clever and kind telling of a worthwhile story, brought to life by a crew of supremely gifted artists.
My family has been touched by dementia on a number of occasions.
At different times, I saw in this film my grandparents, my mother-in-law, my wife, my father, my mother, my brother and myself, and all at times in our lives which could never be called happy. It struck very close to home, and I found it brutal.
Sometimes You Forget How Great an Actor Is ...
historiafilms20 March 2021
And then you get Anthony Hopkins in THE FATHER. This is a devastatingly, heartbreakingly-brilliant performance and a great film. Hopkins' range is incredible. He goes from charming and funny to menacing to wholly lost in seconds. From man to child on a dime. It's a powerful rumination on a terrifying disease, bolstered by Sir Tony at his finest, a strong supporting turn from Olivia Colman, and an excellent script by Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller (based on Zeller's play). It's a daring move to tell the story from the perspective of Hopkins' character as his mind increasingly deteriorates. A savvy one too, as the audience is forced to engage to truly understand what is real, who is who, and where precisely we are in our protagonist's gut-wrenching journey. This may be Hopkins best work, a late-career revelation that once again reminds us why he's one of our finest cinematic performers. Be warned. If you've ever been touched by the tragedy of dementia, this film could wreck you.
great movie
studnie5 May 2021
I am working with people struggle with all kinds of dementia 15 years. Watching this movie was like another hard day at my work. I am glad if someone decided created movie like The Father. I have hope more people will understanding have difficult but wonderful work we provided every day. Is hard for the patient, for staff and for families.
Thank You so much. Congratulation to Sir Anthony.
Thank You so much. Congratulation to Sir Anthony.
Created a IMDB Account Just to Rate a 10
sdkemmerling13 March 2021
After watching this movie, I had to see the reviews to see if others were as rocked as I was by it. They were. Breath-takingly good movie. I would have rated the movie a 7-8 due to great writing, acting, cast and story, but the last five minutes shot it to a 100 out of 10 due to Hopkins. Gut wrenching and wonderful.
Most realistic movie about dementia.
deloudelouvain26 August 2021
The Father couldn't be more realistic when talking about Alzheimer's disease. I've seen my grandfather walking that path. He was a smart man but once the dementia kicked in he was barely recognizable, which was a hard thing to witness when you knew him as the intellectual he was. The Father just nailed this subject, bringing back so many memories, memories we would rather forget but that you can't. Living with a loved one with this disease isn't easy at all, certainly not when that person sometimes doesn't remember who you are. I didn't knew Anthony Hopkins won an Oscar for his role, but after watching this movie I can only say it's highly deserved. It's probably one of his better performances ever, and that at 83 years old. The Father isn't a movie that will give you a lot of joy, it's sad and scary but certainly worth watching. Nobody wants to have a loved one suffering from dementia, it's a nightmare to live with. I remember my grandfather starting to smoke a cigarette like it was a thing he always did and that whilst he stopped more than forty years ago. I remember him telling me he was going crazy after asking me the same question for the twentieth time in barely an hour. He knew it was all going downhill, he knew he was a burden to everybody, and that must hurt when you are still that little bit lucid to understand that. I watched several movies about dementia but this one is just the most realistic. It's sad but that's life, everybody should watch it so they can be prepared if the disease ever would hit a loved one.
The Father Review
pedroborges-908813 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Anthony Hopkins gives an amazing performance, one of the best in his career, is hard to decide who deserve more the best actor between him and Chadwick Boseman, i know is controversial, but i would vote for Hopkins.
Olivia Colman also gives a great performance, showing all the sadness a person would feel in this situation, but Hopkins is the one who elevated the whole material.
The ending scene is very emotional and sad, showing once again how amazing is Hopkins performance, when he cries asking for his mother who is obviously dead a long time ago, this just shows even deeper how much he's lost in the time of his own life, the scene also make us see that a person in his condition can feel like a helpless kid who lived a entire life and now is completely lost and confused, sometimes not even capable to remember who he actually is.
Olivia Colman also gives a great performance, showing all the sadness a person would feel in this situation, but Hopkins is the one who elevated the whole material.
The ending scene is very emotional and sad, showing once again how amazing is Hopkins performance, when he cries asking for his mother who is obviously dead a long time ago, this just shows even deeper how much he's lost in the time of his own life, the scene also make us see that a person in his condition can feel like a helpless kid who lived a entire life and now is completely lost and confused, sometimes not even capable to remember who he actually is.
Expertly crafted
Gordon-115 April 2021
Another tour-de-force from Hopkins
moonspinner5511 April 2021
The devastating effects of Alzheimer's disease (although never mentioned by name) on an aged ex-engineer in London. There is no conventional story in "The Father", and that's as it should be. Director Florian Zeller, who also co-adapted his 2012 play "Le Père" with Christopher Hampton, gets inside the deteriorating mind of the central character with astonishing skill (although it takes about 15 minutes to get into the movie's rhythm). Anthony Hopkins gives an incredible performance; his confused, frustrated Anthony is delusional, forgetful, obsessed with time, unable to distinguish the past from the present, and prone to nostalgic bewilderment and angry fits of befuddlement. We, too, are lost in time as people Anthony is introduced to are either figments of his imagination or are substitutes for whomever is trying to communicate with him in the present. It's a moving journey through a trap-door existence, though the operatic pieces by composer Ludovico Einaudi are a tiny bit excruciating (less so if you admire the genre) and Zeller tends to overdose on weary-eyed closeups of Olivia Colman playing Anthony's conflicted daughter. Six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Hopkins as Best Actor. *** from ****
Hopkins has never been better.
MOscarbradley4 April 2021
I haven't seen the play on which "The Father" is based, (or indeed the other two plays in Florian Zeller's trilogy on the family), but as cinematic adaptations go this is as good as it gets. Taking place almost entirely on a single set, this is an actor's piece of the highest order and its linchpin is a magnificent performance from Anthony Hopkins as "The Father" of the title, a man suffering from advanced dementia and perhaps, both in Hopkins's performance and Zeller's treatment of the subject, this will come to be seen as the definitive film on dementia as anyone with personal experience can testify.
Everything is seen through Hopkins' eyes. Olivia Coleman, (heartbreakingly good), is his daughter but there are other 'characters' who may or may not exist or rather, if they do exist, who are they or who does Hopkins perceive them to be? A man appears who says he's the daughter's husband but then the daughter has said she does not have a husband. Another woman comes in and says she's his daughter while another man appears and converses with Hopkins. Is he the husband? Is there a husband?
I've already said that this is an actor's piece of the first order but it is also a writer's piece with Zeller adapting his own play with Christopher Hampton. It may be mystifying initially for just as characters turn up to confuse us so the film follows no chronological timespans. Events keep repeating themselves if they happen at all until we come to realise we are simply inside Hopkins' dishevelled mind and for Hopkins I think I can safely say that this is a career- best performance. The Oscar givers may ignore it but acting like this deserves more than prizes; it deserves to be seen.
Everything is seen through Hopkins' eyes. Olivia Coleman, (heartbreakingly good), is his daughter but there are other 'characters' who may or may not exist or rather, if they do exist, who are they or who does Hopkins perceive them to be? A man appears who says he's the daughter's husband but then the daughter has said she does not have a husband. Another woman comes in and says she's his daughter while another man appears and converses with Hopkins. Is he the husband? Is there a husband?
I've already said that this is an actor's piece of the first order but it is also a writer's piece with Zeller adapting his own play with Christopher Hampton. It may be mystifying initially for just as characters turn up to confuse us so the film follows no chronological timespans. Events keep repeating themselves if they happen at all until we come to realise we are simply inside Hopkins' dishevelled mind and for Hopkins I think I can safely say that this is a career- best performance. The Oscar givers may ignore it but acting like this deserves more than prizes; it deserves to be seen.
A bit underwhelmed
kellielulu29 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This movie was so hyped that by the time I watched last year I thought I would be watching the best thing ever filmed. Minus the hype and Oscar dynamics I would have watched it but not thought much about it afterwards except it had two of our most acclaimed and skilled actors in it . Hopkins and Colman are good but I didn't see anything I haven't seen before with them. Yes it devastating to endure this dreadful disease. I probably took something else away from it how the least favored child is left to care for the critical parent a common occurrence . Hopkins however didn't do anything I haven't watched from him before it's just used differently here due to the characters mental decline. It's a Hopkins standard blustery and harsh then vulnerable and needy . Watch Howard's End or Remains of the Day it's similar in it's way. .To see a different element of his talent we have Hannibal Lecter so he definitely has range as an actor. I don't mean to sound overly critical it's less that than not feeling the hype equaled the actual experience of watching it .
Just Wasn't Enough.
Jim_Screechy27 March 2021
I really wanted to see this film and deliberately didn't read any reviews or watch the trailers because of this. I think the plot is fairly simple and nothing is being given away with the synopsis of how it describes the characters demise into dementia.
As an explanation of the condition its great, but as a film it doesn't really work. It does a very good job of describing the descent of the main character, and gives a fairly vivid description of his confusion, despair and random behaviour, but this becomes quite tiresome and repetitive as the film progresses.
There just isn't enough of a story here, nothing of significance happens, and even when changes occur to the character or his circumstances, they happen within the disconnected framework of his condition which is a very low key, subtle affair.
There are no developments that take place to draw you into the story, the characters plight, or that of his family. The screenplay in general is very one dimensional and offers no real emotional investment in the film, other than pity of his condition to progress past this fairly slight and unrewarding concept.
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure many people can identify with the film and even realise with so much more understanding how dementia affects people (especially loved ones) because of this film. It highlights the effects of the condition exceptionally well. I'm also sure older people watching this will probably have an unpleasant experience on what's possibly awaiting them in the short to medium term, but as a movie it still doesn't work, it isn't enough. It is more of a documentary, as a movie it simply doesn't deliver.
I'm struggling to give it a fair score for movie value whilst recognising the intent of the film makers may not have been specifically entertain per se, and I'm finding it quite difficult. What the film does, it does very well, but outside that it has little to offer, and I think as a result 5/10 is a fair score.
As an explanation of the condition its great, but as a film it doesn't really work. It does a very good job of describing the descent of the main character, and gives a fairly vivid description of his confusion, despair and random behaviour, but this becomes quite tiresome and repetitive as the film progresses.
There just isn't enough of a story here, nothing of significance happens, and even when changes occur to the character or his circumstances, they happen within the disconnected framework of his condition which is a very low key, subtle affair.
There are no developments that take place to draw you into the story, the characters plight, or that of his family. The screenplay in general is very one dimensional and offers no real emotional investment in the film, other than pity of his condition to progress past this fairly slight and unrewarding concept.
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure many people can identify with the film and even realise with so much more understanding how dementia affects people (especially loved ones) because of this film. It highlights the effects of the condition exceptionally well. I'm also sure older people watching this will probably have an unpleasant experience on what's possibly awaiting them in the short to medium term, but as a movie it still doesn't work, it isn't enough. It is more of a documentary, as a movie it simply doesn't deliver.
I'm struggling to give it a fair score for movie value whilst recognising the intent of the film makers may not have been specifically entertain per se, and I'm finding it quite difficult. What the film does, it does very well, but outside that it has little to offer, and I think as a result 5/10 is a fair score.
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