The Father
2020
****½
Director: Florian Zeller
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss, Imogen Poots, Rufus Sewell, Olivia Williams, Mark Gatiss, Ayesha Dharker
This brilliant drama provides a first person view to dementia. While Anne is forced to hire another caregiver for her grouchy father, the 80-something Anthony tries to make sense of his increasingly confusing existence. Where does he actually live? Why do the names and faces around him seem to change? Who keeps taking his personal items? The Oscar winning screenplay by Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton is based on Zeller's stage play Le Père. Its disorienting structure beautifully reflects the character's memory loss. Anthony Hopkins' wonderfully nuanced performance earned him his second Academy Award.
