AFI Fest 2020 Review: The Father (2020)

Adapting his own award-winning play of the same name, Florian Zeller crafts a stunning feature directorial debut with The Father. Capturing the horrors of old age and the process of a mind quickly deteriorating causing an elderly man (Anthony Hopkins) to slowly lose his connection with the world around him, The Father quickly becomes one of the most genuinely haunting films of the year so far.

This lasting effect the film has on audiences can be attributed to the three-way powerhouse which is the film’s acting, editing, and screenplay. Portraying what happens to the human brain due to various influences has been a question long explored throughout the history of cinema. From drug trips to dementia, every film that chooses to showcase a unique experience within the human brain has to make a choice of how they want to visually show the often subjective and more emotional experience. The Father decides to show the effects of memory loss by plunging both the main character and audience together into the deep side of the pool with little context or help along the way.

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What starts as a seemingly normal drama quickly becomes confusing for both parties as the film’s editing from Yorgos Lamprinos casually alters the reality around Anthony. The film acts with confidence as it puts every detail of the plot into question and never gives in, holding the audience’s hand at any time. Despite the confusion of the plot, this isn’t to say that it ever feels messy or out of control. The film has an incredible amount of control in fact over the audience and where their brains will be. Constantly playing with expectations and giving just enough to where the film remains engaging and accessible for audiences. This speaks to the screenplay, which comes as a collaboration between Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton, who bring their individual experiences with the play and the cinematic space respectfully. Creating a screenplay that faithfully pays respects to the original material, while also properly adapting it to fit the big screen.

The last major element which breathes life and horror into every second of the film’s clean 97-minute runtime are its performances. Enough praise cannot be given to Anthony Hopkins, who legitimately is giving one of the best performances of his career. Where in one hand it is innocent and humble, it is also tragic and raw. Hopkins has proven throughout his entire career to be a master of control and understanding when it comes to his performances. And the restraint and craft shown in The Father is nearly equal to the same skill he has shown in a project like The Silence of the Lambs.

Where Hopkins is the clear standout and lead of the film, he is surrounded by a rather small but talented cast of actors. Olivia Colman and Mark Gatiss play nicely off of each other in their different forms of affection and concern, while also trying to find their path to a life outside of caring for Anthony, who needs more and more help and attention by the day. With the talents of Olivia Colman, it is easy to overlook the performance Olivia Williams gives as both are incredibly similar, but she also carries a wonderful sense of genuine care and love which shines.

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Ultimately, it is the love within the film that makes the feature overall as haunting as it is. Every character within the film is innocent and justified in their actions as the drama comes from an outside force of life that gets in the way of their love. No character deserves the suffering they face, but it doesn’t change what each is going through. This brings a melancholic relevance and realism to the film. Memory loss is one of the largest feats most individuals have and to experience it first-hand is near traumatizing. The film proves that this can happen to anyone, and the fear of it happening to themselves will be enough for most audience members to get a chill down their back and keep thinking about the film long after the runtime ends.

The Father has gained more and more hype as the year goes on and deserves every bit of praise it has received. This is easily one of the best films of the year. Not only is the film absolutely affecting, but the sheer confidence that it carries would be impressive for any film much less a directorial debut. The Father is forthcoming and eloquent with its delivery, producing a truly special cinematic experience that should be experienced by as many as possible.