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Feb 26, 2021 By Larry Mullin Web Exclusive

Yes, a fearless portrayal of dementia seems to guarantee critical acclaim and Oscar consideration these days. Just ask the makers of Supernova, Falling, and The Father, a trio of awards hopefuls. Not only were they coincidentally released within months of each other— each movie also delves into the vulnerability and turmoil inherent to that cruel medical condition. The Father, however, stands out. Rather than Falling’s Academy ingratiating melodrama, or Supernova’s indie minimalism, The Father users tropes of another genre entirely.

Partway through the movie, you’ll indeed ask yourself: am I watching a psychological thriller?

Is that due to star Anthony Hopkins? He certainly gives his most villainous turn since breaking through in Silence of the Lambs during The Father’s opening scenes, eviscerating his daughter’s attempts to provide her ever-mentally-ailing dad the care he needs. But The Father’s truly chilling moments — and in turn its most artistically innovative — occur later, as writer-director Florian Zeller (a lauded playwright who co-wrote this movie with Dangerous Liasons and Atonement scribe Christopher Hampton evokes the terror of geriatric disorientation. As a director, Zeller’s ambiguous, increasingly tense atmosphere melds with the misdirection of his and Hampton’s script. That story shuffles key details about the daughter’s plans to move to France or remain at the gorgeous London flat that Hopkin’s Lear-esque protagonist frets she might pilfer from her feeble elder. Surgical staging and props within that setting — doors and hallways leading to entirely different rooms than they had prior, much to the protagonist’s bewildered dismay — all further engross the audience in his tragic mental state. Same goes for the sudden casting swaps in his caretakers, sons in law, and even the actresses portraying his daughter (a palpably galled Olivia Colman through much of the movie; Olivia Williams of Rushmore and The Sixth Sense being no slouch either later on).

Speaking of Williams: the Broadchurch and The Crown star’s portrayal of Hopkins’ overwhelmed daughter here deserves greater renown than those more famous performances. Her sorrowful facial expression alone, when Hopkins sneers at her for bringing home a care worker, conveys more familial drama than most grand three act epics in their entirety. And the continually despicable Rufus Sewell (remember his bitchy bad guy being trounced by the princely Heath Ledger in 2001’s A Knight’s Tale?) carries on as you’d expect (no, hope for) as one of Colman’s boyfriends, husbands, what have you (Zeller and Hampton’s quicksand plot will leave you as uncertain as Hopkins’ protagonist on that point). Regardless, Sewell’s cruel confrontation with Hopkins — a conflict deftly revisited by the director with an equally talented actor in the role, Mark Gatiss (Doctor Who, Sherlock, Game of Thrones) — will leave you sympathizing with the miserable old bastard, shockingly enough.

Less surprising is Hopkins, bringing the needed intimidation, humiliation, and each tonal shade in between to bear. The result: a performance rivaling any in the living legend’s career. And while longtime Lecter-lovers will find guilty pleasure in his nastier exchanges with Colman, it’s the octogenarian’s naked emotional revelation in The Father’s closing moments that make Hopkins’ turn, and the movie in general, nothing short of masterful.

Author rating: 9/10