Sundance 2020: The Father Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Sundance Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

We love our parents. They have taken care of us all our lives though as they get older, someone has to take care of them. While taking care of our parents isn’t always easy, we still try out of love. It is because of this that many audiences will surely relate to The Father, a film based on the play of the same name tackles this type of relationship in an incredibly empathetic and grounded yet heartbreaking way that will surely be discussed well into the year. Full of subtle little touches via editing and set design scattered throughout, the film will most likely require multiple viewings in order to catch everything but in the process, get ready to have your heart broken over and over again.

The Father was about a woman named Anne (Colman) who at her wit’s end trying to take care of her ailing father Anthony (Hopkins) who suffered from dementia. Adamant that he could still take care of himself (despite plenty of evidence to the contrary), he refused any attempt of assistance from her or the revolving door of personal support workers she hired to shoulder the responsibility. To keep a better eye on Anthony, Anne had him move in with her and her boyfriend Paul (Sewell). However, things were not as clear-cut as they seemed. Told from Anthony’s perspective, he was not always a reliable narrator as it wasn’t always clear what was real and what wasn’t and it only got worse as his condition worsened. Subtle details would change from scene to scene along with Anthony’s fading perception of the world around him.

The Father was a truly heartbreaking watch and this was mostly due to the extraordinary performance from Hopkins as Anthony (the role was written for him). He shows great range over his masterful character arc that saw Anthony’s condition worsen in a believable and empathetic way, from the sheer confusion and desperation to the acceptance. Meanwhile, Colman as Anne was also up to the task in a role that was more than just the straight man to Hopkins’ Anthony as we could feel and relate to her pain and desperation below the surface as all she ever wanted was to do right by her father.

In the end, The Father is not an easy watch but is still an important one, if only to show that Anthony Hopkins still has it.

*still courtesy of Sundance*

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.