The year 2020 has been craved by a new virus which changed our lives, but there are many other illnesses that will change your life if you or a relative of yours are involved. Probably, Alzheimer’s is one of those which no one wants to get anywhere nearby. It is not new, but we know very little about what causes it or how to revert the symptoms. The Father brings the topic over the table, showing how it affects not only the family’s lives, but the sufferer himself.
The film is set in London. From the beginning, the viewer can’t figure out what is the main topic and who is the main character, but it is the whole film which brings it all together. Anthony is an old man, living in his flat on his own. He does not realize it, but he is strongly dependent on his daughter, who takes care of him day in day out. She tries, desperately, to find and introduce a home care assistant, but he rejects every new candidate. Feeling alone, she will try other ways to be able to live her own life.
The way the film is made helps you to understand what it is like to be in the mind of someone who suffers from Alzheimer’s. The concept of time is important, and not being able to recognize overhauled furniture or a new face… does not help. The movie plays with the misleading of time, and the main actor, Anthony Hopkins, is capable of demonstrating how all those details do not make sense to anyone.
I would highly recommend it to all those who have a relative suffering from this condition. It might help to understand the affected person’s point of view, and how they experience their loss of memory.
Director: Florian Zeller
Writers: Christopher Hampton (screenplay by), Florian Zeller (play)
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss
Review by Julio Verdejo