A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his... Read allA man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.
- Won 2 Oscars
- 37 wins & 168 nominations total
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFlorian Zeller wanted Sir Anthony Hopkins specifically for the part. He sent Hopkins the script in 2017 and waited for a reply. In the meantime, he did not pursue production with any other actors in the lead role. He said if Hopkins had not agreed to the film, then it likely would have been made in French instead.
- ConnectionsFeatured in CBC News: Toronto: Episode dated 18 September 2020 (2020)
- SoundtracksCold Wind Var. 1 - Day 1
Music by Ludovico Einaudi
Piano: Ludovico Einaudi
Violin/Viola: Federico Mecozzi
Cello: Redi Hasa
Featured review
Demented Puzzle
Dementia is a terrible disease. It's not something I'm interested in seeing depicted on screen. I've already seen enough of that. "Amour" (2012), with it likewise being claustrophobically isolated to an apartment and although it involves a stroke, especially comes to mind. Anticipating it was a depressingly realistic slice-of-life drama, I wasn't enthusiastic about seeing this Awards-winner, "The Father," from a playwright turned first-time movie director. Fortunately and surprisingly, I don't think it's that, and one would be well advised to see it before reading reviews for it, including this one. I'm not familiar with the writer-director's original play that this is an Anglicization of, "Le Père," nor the French film already made of it, "Floride" (2015), so I don't know how much of it was always of design or if anything is original here. I mean, "they don't even speak English there." Regardless, that "The Father" may come across as what I feared it was--and what others seem to discuss it as--is because we may forget genres when introduced to their entries in unpredictable ways. But, remember, "The Father" is a mind-game film, a puzzle picture.
Think "Fight Club," "The Matrix" (both 1999), "A Beautiful Mind" (2001), "Shutter Island" (2010), Charlie Kaufman, David Lynch, Christopher Nolan--movies that play games and are puzzles to put together. My go-to essay on this type of movie is "The Mind-Game Film" by Thomas Elsaesser. It lists six common motifs among such titles. I've already done this in my review of "The Machinist" (2004), but as remembered repetition is especially the name of the game in this case, I'll run through the list again, of which "The Father," with its congruent case of dementia, may be diagnosed as checking every box. 1) the protagonist is involved in events whose meaning or consequences escape him. 2) He's mistaken about the difference between reality and his imagination and so are we. 3) He has imaginary friends. 4) He has an identity crisis--asking "who am I and what is my reality?" 5) He's not only unable to distinguish between different worlds, but is also not aware their might be parallel universes, nor are we, until the ultimate reveal. 6) He's persuaded by others that he's deluded, particularly as regards a child and past trauma.
The novelty of "The Father" is that we know he has dementia, so when the picture is put into his perspective, we know present reality and memories might be mixed up, although it may still be difficult to distinguish. This is further complicated by briefly taking the point of view of the daughter or of the camera sharing subjectivity with no particular character. The greatest trick of all here being that the spectator might not even realize what kind of movie this is. It's all there, though, in its non-linear jigsaw puzzle of reality and illusion, past and present, one's own identity and those of others. Actors playing different roles depending on his confusion. The business with the other daughter. Clever stuff. I also like the allusions on the margins to other arts in painting and music, as well as that this maze of a mind comes from a retired engineer, or was he a dancer, or circus performer. And what wonderful use of its limited setting--as if everything takes place in an ever-changing flat. Despite what that would suggest and that it's an adaptation of a play, this isn't stagy at all. Well edited and photographed, too.
The only other movie that comes to mind that deals this smartly with dementia is "Still Alice" (2014). In that case, it was reflexively about literature (implicitly "Alice in Wonderland") and acting. As there, with actors switching between characters, and back and forth in identity, it's vital that the performances be top notch. Fortunately, then, "The Father" stars Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman in Oscar-winning and Oscar-nominated roles, respectively, as well as a capable supporting cast. Olivia Williams is especially well cast, including for passing similarities in appearance to Colman. There's too much mental misery and the hardships of aging in the outside world, so don't forget this is a movie.
Think "Fight Club," "The Matrix" (both 1999), "A Beautiful Mind" (2001), "Shutter Island" (2010), Charlie Kaufman, David Lynch, Christopher Nolan--movies that play games and are puzzles to put together. My go-to essay on this type of movie is "The Mind-Game Film" by Thomas Elsaesser. It lists six common motifs among such titles. I've already done this in my review of "The Machinist" (2004), but as remembered repetition is especially the name of the game in this case, I'll run through the list again, of which "The Father," with its congruent case of dementia, may be diagnosed as checking every box. 1) the protagonist is involved in events whose meaning or consequences escape him. 2) He's mistaken about the difference between reality and his imagination and so are we. 3) He has imaginary friends. 4) He has an identity crisis--asking "who am I and what is my reality?" 5) He's not only unable to distinguish between different worlds, but is also not aware their might be parallel universes, nor are we, until the ultimate reveal. 6) He's persuaded by others that he's deluded, particularly as regards a child and past trauma.
The novelty of "The Father" is that we know he has dementia, so when the picture is put into his perspective, we know present reality and memories might be mixed up, although it may still be difficult to distinguish. This is further complicated by briefly taking the point of view of the daughter or of the camera sharing subjectivity with no particular character. The greatest trick of all here being that the spectator might not even realize what kind of movie this is. It's all there, though, in its non-linear jigsaw puzzle of reality and illusion, past and present, one's own identity and those of others. Actors playing different roles depending on his confusion. The business with the other daughter. Clever stuff. I also like the allusions on the margins to other arts in painting and music, as well as that this maze of a mind comes from a retired engineer, or was he a dancer, or circus performer. And what wonderful use of its limited setting--as if everything takes place in an ever-changing flat. Despite what that would suggest and that it's an adaptation of a play, this isn't stagy at all. Well edited and photographed, too.
The only other movie that comes to mind that deals this smartly with dementia is "Still Alice" (2014). In that case, it was reflexively about literature (implicitly "Alice in Wonderland") and acting. As there, with actors switching between characters, and back and forth in identity, it's vital that the performances be top notch. Fortunately, then, "The Father" stars Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman in Oscar-winning and Oscar-nominated roles, respectively, as well as a capable supporting cast. Olivia Williams is especially well cast, including for passing similarities in appearance to Colman. There's too much mental misery and the hardships of aging in the outside world, so don't forget this is a movie.
helpful•274
- Cineanalyst
- May 22, 2021
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Ota
- Filming locations
- Blythe House, 23 Blythe Road, West Kensington, London, Greater London, England, UK(Exterior scene: nursing home)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $6,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $2,122,771
- Gross worldwide
- $24,048,935
- Runtime1 hour 37 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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