First-time director Florian Zeller's adaptation of his own play was a heartachingly tender and immensely immersive film that showcased a phenomenal performance from Anthony Hopkins and a quietly poignant turn from Olivia Colman. This was perhaps one of the most devastating films about aging since Michael Haneke's 2012 Amour. And in my opinion, Hopkins really does deserve the Oscar for his amazing and unforgettable performance that never felt performative and which was maintained throughout the whole 97 minutes runtime.
Zeller told this story beautifully with his camera. Despite an economical runtime, a rarity these days especially with Best Picture nominees, Zeller weaved a powerful narrative that hit all the right emotional notes without feeling too manipulative. It was amazing how he, and fellow nominee/co-writer Christopher Hampton, managed to get us absorbed into the mindscape of a man in the throes of dementia. The confusion and hesitancy felt so visceral and palpable that even we, the audience, also find ourselves questioning reality.
The film still felt like a play at times, especially the two-handed bits with Colman and Hopkin, but the freedom of cinema actually allowed Zeller to tell an even more visual story. And it is no wonder that the Production Design scored an Oscar nomination too. Just like the house in Parasite, the London apartment was a character undo itself. The design choices, the colours, the layout, they all helped to tell a story of a man addled with doubt, confusion but still sparked with moments of clarity.
Hopkins was simply fantastic. This was his best performance in years! And with last year's Two Popes, he is in some sort of late-stage renaissance. Throughout the film, Hopkins displayed an amazing range of emotions and physicality which he could effortlessly switched on and off. Admittedly, Chadwick Boseman was good in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and he had that one great scene, but Hopkins was great throughout the whole film and even then he still had multiple moments of absolute brilliance. Boseman's narrative might be strong, but in terms of quality of performance, Hopkins was undeniable.
Colman also scored a second Oscar nomination for her strong, restrained performance as Hopkin's daughter. Colman was a master in the portrayal of the silent pain and suffering of the aggrieved carer of an elderly ailing patient. A nuanced performance that relied much on Colman's expressive face and emotive eyes.
Olivia Williams (what a great bit of casting!), Mark Gatiss, Rufus Sewell and Imogen Poots rounded out the rest of the cast who were great in their own way.
Ludovico Einaudi provided the music, just as he did with fellow nominee Nomadland; and Ben Smithhard did the cinematography.
The Father was a beautiful film that absolutely deserved all its accolades.
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