The Father

An incredibly fresh cinematic probe into the issue of old age and the slow decline of both the physical and primarily the psychological that is uniquely turned around and dissected in detail from the perspective of the patient, not the people around them, so we don’t get any corny tearful scenes or any other similar mining of emotions. Zeller goes about it in a sophisticated, at times almost detective-like manner, and the phenomenal performance of Anthony Hopkins doesn't give the viewer a chance to breathe. Within the genre, an unusual atypical film that is worth seeing, although it is not an easy watch. (25/04/2021)

Small film, yet great. Within the first few minutes, The Father grabbed my attention perfectly due to its dynamic script, fast pace, and strong acting performances. Plus, I have to say that it was like an emotional rollercoaster ride that will leave you with goosebumps in the end. The spiral narrative ingeniously plays with the supporting characters and the perception of time and space. In addition, we experience its growing confusion and frustration with the main protagonist. Anthony Hopkins is at his best here. Everything he does and he feels is endlessly believable, and you forget that you are watching an actor. It was a force to be reckoned with, and it touched me like nothing else. (02/04/2021)

Translating Alzheimer's woes into cinematic language creates a postmodern horror film along the lines of Lynch or Wheatley. I even think it happened unintentionally, which is the scariest thing about it. We're going to hear a lot about acting performances with this film, and why not when Hopkins shoulders such an agonizing role at 83? Still, I'm most impressed by the truth presented about how old age simply can't have a happy ending. (04/04/2021)

Anthony Hopkins is definitely not an old hand yet, as he convinced me with his breathtaking performance in The Father. The film manages to evoke the mental state of a man who is slowly but surely being consumed by a serious illness, robbing him of his memories and overall awareness of himself. At first I found myself actually similarly confused as Anthony, then I found myself sympathizing with both him and the people around him – especially his daughter Anne. It was incredibly sad to see what Alzheimer's disease, which befalls many of us when we live to such an old age, can do to a person. The Father is mainly an acting tour-de-force by Hopkins, but the supporting cast also gave supremely convincing performances, giving rise to an intimate but all the more powerful slice-of-life film. Old age can be peaceful, but it can also be cruel! (13/04/2021)

In a word, suggestive. Suggestive in two ways, and it doesn't just get under the skin, but deep into each of your bones, and not just the big ones. For empathic reasons, a "must see" educational film, as the chances of this happening to you (either directly or within your family) are not small, but it’s also a great cinema experience. As much as it doesn't hide the intimate drama roots, the memento-like view of old age dementia "from the other side" is presented in a purely cinematic manner, with the editing in particular excelling in a way rarely seen. This is also true for all the cast, with Hopkins's performance of a lifetime leading the way. On paper, from an "intimate Oscar-winning film about a daughter's relationship with her demented father at the end of her life" one would expect a bittersweet sentimental film that plays on tear-jerking strings, not a frighteningly intense existential horror. (06/04/2022)