No. 80. (2020) THE FATHER December 20th.

 

Film No. 80 (2020) December 20th.  8:00 PM SOMERVILLE Outdoor U.W.A.                        

"Why do you keep looking at me as if there is something wrong? Everything is fine!" (Anthony asks his daughter a question she doesn't know how to answer).

It's rare that the creator of a play then directs an adaptation for the screen. The Father was created by Frenchman, Florian Zeller in 2014 for the stage. His deep desire to bring it to the screen (via a screenplay penned by Christopher Hampton) has now been fulfilled and it is deeply affecting audiences around the world.

Dementia is a topic dealt with effectively in Still Alice (2014) and The Savages (2007). Both are good films presenting a traditional third person view of the disease. The Father delivers a new dimension, it takes us into the mind of Anthony (Anthony Hopkins). The opening scene lulls us into a comfortable sense that we know where this narrative is headed. A caring daughter, Anne (Olivia Coleman) talks to her father about a change in her life which will alter the amount of time she she'll be around to care for him. 

When next we meet Anne, it's not the face of Olivia Coleman we see, it's Olivia Williams, which is very confusing, but it soon becomes obvious that we are viewing the world through the confused mind of Anthony. We aren't meant to understand this degenerative disease, but Zeller is delivering us a sense of how it might feel for someone grappling with their diminishing world. The power of drama, portrayed so uniquely here, will floor you. I imagine this may be an unbearable watch for those who have first hand experience.

Then there is the power of the performances. Hopkins has honed his skills over 60 years to master the magic of this role. Coleman is calm, helpless and so deeply saddened by her father's plight. Olivia Williams plays multiple roles but the 10 minutes she spends as a nurse caring for Anthony are infused with compassion and take the brilliance of The Father to its rightful end-point. It's a brilliant film but it will test you emotionally. 11GUMS.