It’s taken me a little while to finally catch The Father starring Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman, but yesterday I finally got to the film at Cineworld and it was well worth the wait.
The theme of the story is very close to my heart and probably with many others that are caring for a parent, Anthony (Anthony Hopkins) is the ageing father that as age creeps up on him is getting confused by the things that are happening around him and it’s down to his daughter (Olivia Colman) to cope with his ever-increasing loss of memory.
The Father does make you feel a little uneasy with the portrayal of what Anthony is going through, as you watch you sit an watch the film you become slightly confused yourself as characters change and time seems to be rather erratic, but this is beautifully done as you are really seeing how Anthony’s world is changing through his mind.
As Anthony’s starts to question the fabric of his reality you really feel for the character and for those of us that are in similar circumstances the film really hits home and plays on your emotions, you see both sides of the effects that his mind is having on him and the strain on his daughter.
When Anne (Colman) decides to move to Paris with her partner Paul (Rufus Sewell) the strain is put on her even more as she tries to sort out essential help to care for her father, but Anthony believes that something is just not right and starts to believe that his loved ones are not who they say they are and starts mixing reality with what he believes is happening as the faces change of the characters this brings us into his world as his mind deteriorates.
Writer/director Florian Zeller‘s film debut is a pure delight to watch and the adaptation of his own acclaimed Le Père from 2012 in to film is such a powerful piece of work, with the clever use of the editing for the film you are taken into the world of Anthony and are pulled into every moment on the screen.
There aren’t many films these days that make me feel very emotional but The Father is one of them, Anthony Hopkins Oscar-winning performance is so powerful and well-performed that I started to feel like I knew the character as he changes moods and gets confused with what is happening I found myself welling up on several occasions and there was even a moment when I had tears rolling down my cheeks, thank heavens for face masks in the cinema to mop them up.
Olivia Colman is just a joy to watch as Anne, she brings across the feelings that many get when they have a parent in a similar situation and after seeing her performance in The Father I’m shocked that she didn’t win best supporting actress in this years Oscars.
Other cast include Rufus Sewell, Imogen Poots, Mark Gatiss and Olivia Williams, all of them put on great performances alongside Hopkins and Colman, each one bringing their characters to life on the big screen wonderfully, I loved how Olivia Williams’ The Woman character came and went and gave more mystery to the film as did Mark Gatiss’ The Man as Anthony confused them for other people, beautifully written and played.
The Father is such a powerful and emotional film and will certainly touch the hearts of many who will see the film, certainly a film to take tissues to and just sit back and take it all in and worthy of a top rating.
The Father is on Digital Download 27 August and Blu-ray & DVD 30 August from Lionsgate UK.
Power and Emotional
Movie title: The Father
Movie description: 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.
Date published: June 22, 2021
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 37min
Director(s): Florian Zeller
Actor(s): Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss
Genre: Drama
Summary
Hopkins and Colman bring us powerful performances in this emotional drama.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
