The Father

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.

Led by towering performances from Academy Award Winners Anthony Hopkins (Elephant Man Silence of the Lambs) and Olivia Coleman (The Favourite) and artfully helmed by writer-director Florian Zeller The Father delivers a devastating yet compassionate portrayal of dementia that will leave audiences floored. A critically-adored masterpiece that's garnered multiple award nominations.

Based on the Tony Olivier and Moliere award-winning play of the same name the film follows Anthony (Hopinks) a mischievous man of 80 who lives alone in his London apartment and refuses each of the nurses that his daughter Anne (Coleman) tries to impose upon him. But as his mind begins to unravel and his sense of reality is slipping away both father and daughter are forced to contend with an uncertain future and with their enduring love for each other.

The film also stars Rufus Sewell (The Man in the High Castle) Imogen Poots (Green Room) and Mark Gatiss (The Favourite) with a script by Florian Zeller and Academy Award winner Christopher Hampton (Atonement).

The Father premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

Director: Florian Zeller
Stars: Anthony Hopkins Olivia Colman Mark Gatiss

Official Trailer: The Father

Review: The Father

83-year-old Anthony (an astonishing Anthony Hopkins) would have the world believe he is quite capable of looking after himself.

However the world that Anthony believes to still exist has crumbled into ruins long ago. A brutally blunt yet beautifully honest portrait of a life ending before it is actually over The Father capitalises on a towering Oscar-winning performance from Hopkins.

While this decorated actor applies pinpoint precision to his role he also generates great poignancy as he shows us fleeting glimpses of the man Anthony once was and never will be again.

This review by LEIGH PAATSCH is from the May 8 issue of The Herald Sun Digital Edition. To subscribe visit https://www.heraldsun.com.au/.