Grade: A-
The Father is the only movie I’ve seen (and know of) where the subject of dementia is approached from the point of view of the character with the ailment. In most films about this, we see it through the eyes of the loved one. Though I enjoyed Still Alice when I saw it 6 years ago, it now looks a bit surfaced and inferior in comparison to The Father.
The Father is based on a play by Florian Zeller, who also directed this film. I have seen just a few other examples of movies based on plays (Driving Miss Daisy, Fences, The Big Kahuna – the latter being one of my all-time favorites), and it’s a practice I can definitely get behind, and would love to see more of. I went into The Father mostly cold – all I thought I knew was it was about an elderly man who is ailing and stubborn about getting treatment. It sounded like a treacly tearjerker. Dying characters are too easy of a target for that. The Father jerks tears, but in different unexpected ways. When those moments come, they feel earned rather than automatic. The plot involves a man (Anthony Hopkins) with dementia and his devoted, long-suffering daughter (Olivia Colman). The movie reminded me what a treasure Hopkins is, and how fortunate we are that he is still with us, creating art. His performance is a gift, and might be his best since The Silence of the Lambs.
Our lead character’s name is Antony. There is a delicous in-joke, with some dialogue near the end about what a great name Antony is. Of course he would know. We experience the action as he does. We get conflicting plot points, actors and character names change on us, we hear lines get repeated, and sometimes it loops back around to a whole scene of dialogue we just heard. We, the audience, get confused, disoriented, and have a hard time discerning what’s real or what to believe. I wondered how certain actors would be credited in the cast list, when it came to character names, and now that I’ve taken a look, it doesn’t tell the whole story of what some of them do here. Early on, there is a brief scene involving a major character, and I thought it was the same performer made up to look 10 or so years younger – only to find out it was a different actor, because this person shows up again twice more, as two other characters.
As an Oscar-winner two years ago, and Best Supporting Actress nominee here, Olivia Colman is captivating and heartbreaking as the daughter. She is one of those people who make the acting thing look so effortless. Rufus Sewell was in Dark City, one of my favorite movies of the 90s, and the best I’ve seen in a genre that isn’t my cup of tea. Nice to see him here, as the Colman character’s…husband? Sometimes? I don’t even know.
The Father is heavy and dark. It took me a bit to get my bearings and go back to real life after watching it, and you might feel that way too. I found out that Ludovico Einaudi composed the score for this and Nomadland – my two favorite Best Picture nominees. To be honest, I didn’t notice the score that much, which means it wasn’t intrusive. The Father is a triumphant film, rich with aspects to think and talk about. It’s an indelible story told from a most unique perspective.
Grade: A-
Film Reviews by Mark 
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