Many films have explored the drama and tragedy of diseases like dementia, but none have done so as effectively as The Father. Recipient of the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards, The Father was written by Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton from Zeller’s play Le Père (which Hampton had previously translated into English from the original French). Zeller also directed the film. The Father follows Anthony (played by Anthony Hopkins in an Academy Award–winning turn) as he tries to adjust to life with dementia, and his oft-frustrated daughter Anne (Olivia Colman… mostly) who has been forced to deal with her father’s worsening condition and occasional belligerent outbursts. What sets the film apart from others in the genre, though, is the film’s inventive structure. Instead of a straightforward melodrama, the film behaves almost like a thriller at times, placing the viewer in Anthony’s perspective. Scenes and dialogue are repeated, characters…
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Next Deadline: April 20th, 2024