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Rating: 5 out of 5
I have written about this before, but my grandma is 94 years old and has dementia or Alzheimer’s. My apologies for not knowing the difference between the two. My grandma has been a major part of my life. Every Sunday since I was five years old, she would call. I enjoy my conversations with my grandma. My mom and aunt are currently caring for my grandma, and I hear a different story from them each week. Some are eye-opening and sad sometimes. Sometimes she thinks her parents are still around, and other times she thinks she needs to go to school to take a test. Sometimes the stories she tells seem quite real because they have so much detail.
Recently, I watched The Father. It was extremely difficult but fascinating to watch as it reminded me of all the times and stories my mom told me about my grandma. Directed by Florian Zeller, The Father follows an octogenarian man living with dementia. Anne (Colman) visits her father, Anthony (Hopkins), in his flat after he had runoff another caregiver. Anthony has dementia and constantly forgets significant moments in his life. He believes his other daughter is alive and continuously forgets where he placed his prized watch. He tells Anne he believes his caregiver stole his watch and that he will never move out of his flat. When Anne tells Anthony she is moving to Paris to be with her fiancé, he looks like she has no idea what she is talking about. Things soon come ahead when the decision to put Anthony in a nursing home.
First and foremost, I want to give major props on how this movie was done. The film actually drew you in and gave you a look at what dementia looked likes. It presented Anthony as a father who believed he still lived in his flat. His daughter would roll in and cook dinner, and he would constantly talk about how he would not leave his flat and discuss his nurse and how she liked them. He talks about his daughter moving to France, but it would be a disaster because no one knows how to speak English, and he lives in London.
What is fantastic about this film is its transitions from scene to scene, as it gives you no concept of time. It seems like the next day, but in the next scene, everything changes. Anthony’s daughter is an entirely different woman. A man is sitting in a chair, stating that he is his daughter’s husband when a few minutes ago, his daughter stated that she was divorced and was engaged. The movie holds on to these characters when it changes scenes, and the original characters are back. The film shows the effects of dementia on a person’s mind as they don’t realize where they are most of the time and always think they are in the past.
The movie shows you the effect dementia has on a family. Anne loves Anthony but taking care of him is too much for her and her husband. Anthony tells stories and wonders where his other daughter is, only to discover that she is dead. Anthony meets a new caregiver; he says things that really hurt Anne’s feelings. The genuinely telling scene is when Anne daydreams of smothering Anthony and then snaps out of it. I know it is tough to care for someone who doesn’t remember anything. My mom goes through it, and you wonder if other people have a strong connection to this film.
I want to give major props and give a standing ovation to Sir Anthony Hopkins. I was slightly biased about him winning the Best Actor award at the Academy Awards since I was rooting for Chadwick Boseman. Even I must give credit where credit is due. Hopkins’ performance was extraordinary as a father with dementia. Sir Hopkins displayed what dementia looks like, from doing a little dance in one scene to becoming angry about not leaving his flat. The saddest scene is the ending when he cries for his mom. Once again, I applaud you, Sir Hopkins.
What can I say about Olivia Colman? She was outstanding as the daughter, Anne. She played Anne as the loving daughter who really cared for her father, but the mounting pressure of taking care of him started to wane on her. Colman never raised her voice, and even when she argued with her husband, she kept a delicate tone. Colman showed what many people go through when caring for their elderly parent. I applaud you also, Colman.
The Father is an outstanding film about the effects of dementia on a person and the people around them. The changes from scene to scene are done perfectly well as you think you are in Anthony’s flat, but in actuality, you are in his daughter’s flat. The film does a great job showing how the perception of a person changes as the person with dementia looks at them. Sir Anthony Hopkins does a fantastic job and needs to be applauded along with Olivia Colman. Two outstanding performers in this emotional film.
