The Father (2020 film) Movie Review

The Father Movie Review

The Father may be the closest movie to answer that question. Welcome to techpost10.blogspot.com Movie Review where I will try as hard as possible not to spoil any relevant plot points. I’ve been very excited about reviewing this movie ever since I’ve seen it. The father is the latest film from Florian Zeller, starring Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Wilde, alongside Imogen Poots.

The film tells the story of Anthony, the father of Anne who is going through all common symptoms of Dementia as he refuses all help from his daughter, and rejects all caregivers brought to support him. The movie doesn’t tell you this in a direct way, but it shows it using a non-linear narrative of a chain of events from the perspective of Anthony.

A non-linear narrative is basically telling a story without following a regular timeline, and it works perfectly with the movie. The Father is very experimental and unique. It may seem like a complex film on paper, but it’s not. The Father simply puts you in the shoes of a man with dementia, as his mind is deteriorating. Slowlyfeeling that he is no longer capable of thinking correctly.

This exact method of subjective storytelling was perfect for this movie and exactly the thing that gave it its magic. I’m not saying it’s the only good thing about the movie. With the great performance by Anthony Hopkins that won him his Oscar, and the music as well chosen by Hopkins himself, and certain scenes that are a bit hard to watch. These things combined make for a wonderful, fresh and unforgettable film. In so many ways, it makes you feel emotional, sad, and even scared. We’re all afraid of the feeling of loneliness, and The Father tries and succeeds in connecting us with the main character and his feelings of solitude and confusion. It feels very sad not being in control and falling for your own mind’s fabrication, and it definitely shows on Hopkins’ character.

I think Hopkins was the best actor this year. I know he gave some otherworldly performances during his career, and this one definitely makes the list of the greatest performances I’ve seen in the last few years. Olivia Colman as well proves she’s a great actress. I also like Imogen Poots and wished she had more screen time. I think she’s got a lot of talent and she showed some of that in The Art of Self Defense and Vivarium. Now back to the movie. I think the screenplay is beautiful. My favourite scene and the scene that I think was the most emotional, heartbreaking, and devastating of the film, is the ending. This was the most convincing performance and probably the one that got Sir Anthony his oscar. But it wasn’t just Hopkins giving one hell of a performance, the screenplay was solid and this monologue was just the perfect way to end this gem.

However, at one specific point, the movie felt repetitive. Maybe it was just me, but that series of events started becoming predictable for a brief moment. It’s these moments when he becomes confused and surprised every time he is deceived by his own mind. The main soundtrack is an opera piece called Les Pêcheurs de Perles. Now I’ve mentioned the name because I’ve never been interested in Opera but after hearing the song in the movie I had to look it up and listen to it afterwards. It’s beautiful and it sounds absolutely devastating. Anthony Hopkins said he always wanted to do a movie with this music in it and Florian Zeller made his wish come true. Overall, The Father is an amazing and one of a kind movie that I absolutely loved.

I don’t think I’ll be rewatching it any time soon. Not that it was that depressing for me to watch, but I just feel like it’s the kind of movie that wasn’t meant for multiple rewatches.

I give it a score of 4.5/5. And I highly recommend anyone watching it.

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