THE FATHER
Starring:
Anthony Hopkins- Anthony
Olivia Coleman- Anne
Rufus Sewell- Paul
Hopkins gives another award wining performance as a man battling his family for independence and his aging mind for reality in the new drama “The Father”.
Anne (Coleman) is a dutiful daughter that is force to mover her father Anthony (Hopkins) into her London flat as his Alzheimer’s and dementia worsens with his age. Anthony listens to classical music and rises each day thinking he is in his flat and constantly reminds his daughter he doesn’t need any assistance from her or ant nurse. A strange man (Mark Gatiss) appears in the flat, but after a barrage of questions from Anthony, he discovers that it is Anne’s husband. Anne informs her father she has lined up another nurse to help him and she was coming by to meet him.
The next morning Anthony woke to a new face and when he asked who she was the woman (Olivia Wilde) said,” Dad, it me Anne!” It is clear that Anthony’s dementia is worsening.
Anne (Coleman), his actual daughter, is back the next day and tells her dad he is going to have to move into a facility because she has met a man named Paul (Sewell) and they are moving to Paris. We see Anthony struggle with his deteriorating mind over the next few days as he meets Laura (Imogen Potts), the new nurse to help him and his daughter’s boyfriend Paul over dinner.
Anne’s has a moment of her own when she actually fantasies about smothering her father with a pillow as he slept to alleviate her from the stress, he brings on her daily, but it passes and she gives him a kiss on the forehead as he sleeps.
The Father is one of the bests films looking at aging parents and the struggles with independence and clinging to what’s left of their fragile minds. Hopkins and Coleman are amazing in the lead roles, with Sewell and Poots solid in their limited supporting roles. The Father starts out very confusing as you try to piece together what is real and what is fantasy along with Anthony. As the story becomes clear you see the pain and tragedy in Hopkins performance as the final reveal in the film will have you in tears.
I’m Karl, the Flick Fanatic letting you know “The Father” is one of the best films of 2021 and will be a contender in all the awards this season. Make the trip to the theater and check out The Faher this weekend!
FLICKANALYSIS GRADE: 5/5 STARS
