'The Father' Review: A Modern Day Classic

Florian Zeller has adapted his play Le Père for the silver screen and boosted by the tremendous performances of Sir Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman, tells the tragic tale of dementia through a horror lens that is refreshing and devastating.

I've seen dementia depicted in film a few times, the touching Canadian film Away from Her (2006), the heartbreaking Still Alice (2014), and unexpectedly in Logan (2017). It is a tragic, devastating disease that when shown in film typically puts the audience in the observer position. What writer and director Florian Zeller does so brilliantly in The Father is put the audience in the driver's seat. We experience the film through Anthony's (Anthony Hopkins) perspective. He is an unreliable narrator, which while typically a clever plot device used in movies, in this case is used to show the reality of the illness.

Zeller wrote the play which The Father is based on and you can see how this story would translate onto the stage. However, we are not left without cinematic elements which tends to be the usual critique of film adaptations of plays. Specifically, there are clear horror genre elements used, from daunting hallways to a string-heavy score that enunciates each beat of the film perfectly. Horror tropes probably aren't what people will expect when they see the trailer or the poster for The Father -- typically we would associate the drama genre with this kind of movie. But in fact, a horror movie is exactly what would be playing out inside the mind of a person whose memory, behaviour, and thinking are degrading. Zeller's direction is innovative and ingenious, yet is not flashy and distracting from the story and its themes.

A movie of this nature relies so heavily on its performances -- particularly, the role of Anthony, the father who is losing a battle to an undefeated illness. Hopkins is incredibly raw in his portrayal of anger, frustration, and helplessness, and is perfectly balanced with Olivia Colman's own sense of helplessness and dread as Annie, Anthony's daughter. For as uncomfortable, scary, and downright sad these performances will make an audience, we should equally be in pure awe of them. The Father is a masterclass in acting. For as storied as Hopkins' 60+ year career is, it is downright remarkable that his performance in this film is not only a top 3 of his career, but arguably, his best career performance.

Both Colman and Hopkins more than deserve their Oscar nominations this year, and The Father is more than worthy to be named as a Best Picture nominee. It isn't often that a film so difficult to watch demands multiple re-watches just to savour such rich character portrayals and brilliant direction.

It's only March but I can confidently say that The Father is one of the best films of the year and for me personally, may become an all-time favourite.

Recommended for: those who love stage adaptations and aspiring filmmakers

The Father is available on PVOD.