Grief and loss are two of the most difficult emotions beings encounter throughout life. Hard to pinpoint and tough to cope with, everyone reacts uniquely to it with different customs all over the world. These emotions aren’t solely dedicated to someone’s death either as the end of a relationship can devastate anyone. Life changes, and it’s understandable wanting to go back to a time when things were seemingly easier, dwelling on a rose-tinted past. These ideas lead me to discuss the penultimate film for this season, The Father.
Another directorial debut nominated for the best picture award, The Father is a Florian Zeller piece starring Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman. Modelled after himself, Hopkins plays Anthony, an elderly man struggling with dementia who’s daughter Anne (Olivia Colman) is also struggling, trying to find a social carer willing to put up with Anthony when she’s at work. Or is it? See, we’re watching the film through Anthony’s eyes and it’s made clear that our narrator is not a trustworthy one. There’s little to drastic changes in each scene, so you’re never sure what’s fact or fictitious. Edited by Yorgos Lanthimos, his previous unorthodox filmography reveals Lanthimos’ fingerprints all over this production and elevates the quality of The Father.
The Father is the definition of a character piece, the movie is made for Anthony Hopkins and Anthony Hopkins makes the movie in return. The range on show here is nothing short of extraordinary. Charmingly reminiscing on bygone golden days switches to vicious barbs effortlessly, stemming from his disorientating vulnerability. You hope to see him on a good day as that’s where you believe his true self comes out but when it happens less and less frequently, you wonder who the real Anthony is anymore. This leads to Anthony Hopkins winning the best Actor at the Oscars 2021 and, of all the films I’ve watched in the Best Picture category, is most deserved. The portrayal is scarily accurate to what I have witnessed in reality with my Grandad. Everytime I stopped by, the flicker of recognition would lessen, and his reliance on my mother took its toll. Despite her frequent visits and care, there was an impatient and ungrateful tone coupled with some old-fashioned views which is as polite as I can put it. This was amplified when the care home discussion reared its head, debilitating as it was the only option in the end. What followed was the pandemic and lasting unavoidable guilt though out of our hands, an idea for a sequel potentially more depressing than the first.
It was roughly two thirds of the way through this film that the dam burst and I bawled my eyes out. It’s very impressive how films can do that to you, perfectly wrap up some grief, empathy and provide a new perspective in an intense microcosm just to dump it on your chest. When you’re enveloped within the scenario, it can be quite difficult to convey emotions and instinct dictates that you stay strong. Most of the time, I was angry, specifically directed at a political party, but this picture brought a welcome release. To say I enjoyed this film, however, would be an untruth but I was hooked by the dynamic instantly, subverting my expectations and questioning what this film was all about. Anthony Hopkins’ performance is infallible, making each scene his own and backed by a fantastic supporting cast. The Father would benefit from multiple viewings to pick up on the nuanced changes but I’m not sure when I would be able to stomach it again.