The Father (2020 film)

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The Father (2020 film)
File:The Father 2020 poster.jpg
UK theatrical release poster
Directed by Florian Zeller
Produced by
  • David Parfitt
  • Jean-Louis Livi
  • Philippe Carcassonne
  • Christophe Spadone
  • Simon Friend
Screenplay by
Based on Le Père
by Florian Zeller
Starring <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Music by Ludovico Einaudi
Cinematography Ben Smithard
Edited by Yorgos Lamprinos
Production
company
<templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Distributed by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Release dates
 <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • 27 January 2020 (2020-01-27) (Sundance)
  • 26 May 2021 (2021-05-26) (France)
  • 11 June 2021 (2021-06-11) (United Kingdom)
Running time
 97 minutes[2]
Country <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • France
  • United Kingdom
Language English
Budget $6 million[3]
Box office $28.4 million[1][4]

The Father is a 2020 psychological drama film[5][6][7][8] directed by Florian Zeller, in his directorial debut; he co-wrote the screenplay with fellow playwright Christopher Hampton based on Zeller's 2012 play Le Père, which is part of a trilogy that also includes Le Fils and The Mother. A French-British co-production, the film stars Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss, Imogen Poots, Rufus Sewell, and Olivia Williams, and follows an octogenarian man living with dementia. It is the second adaptation of the play after the 2015 film Floride.

The Father premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival on 27 January 2020, and was released by Sony Pictures Classics in the United States on 26 February 2021, in France on 26 May 2021 by UGC Distribution and in the United Kingdom on 11 June 2021 by Lionsgate UK. The film grossed $28 million on a $6 million budget and was acclaimed by critics, who lauded the performances of Hopkins and Colman, as well as the production values and its portrayal of dementia.

At the 93rd Academy Awards, Hopkins won Best Actor and Zeller and Hampton won Best Adapted Screenplay; the film received six nominations in total, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress (Colman).[9] At the 78th Golden Globe Awards, the film received four nominations, including Best Motion Picture – Drama, and it received six nominations at the 74th British Academy Film Awards, winning Best Actor (Hopkins) and Best Adapted Screenplay. In addition, Hopkins and Colman were nominated for Outstanding Leading Actor and Outstanding Supporting Actress respectively at the 27th Screen Actors Guild Awards. A follow-up film, based on Zeller's 2018 play The Son and with Hopkins reprising his role as Anthony, and Zeller returning as writer and director, is currently in production.[10]

Plot

Anne visits her father Anthony in his flat after he has driven away the latest of several caregivers. He has dementia and constantly forgets important life events and where things are around his flat, including his watch. He tells Anne he believes his caregiver stole his watch and that he will never move out of his flat. She tells Anthony she is moving to Paris to be with a man, which confuses Anthony since he does not recall any men in her life since the end of her marriage to James. Anne says that if he keeps refusing to have a caregiver, she will have to move him into a nursing home.

The next day, Anthony encounters an unknown man, Paul, in his flat. Paul says he is Anne's husband and that Anthony is living in their flat. Anne returns but appears to Anthony as a different woman. When a new caregiver, Laura, arrives for an interview, Anthony tells Laura he was a professional dancer and insists he does not need any assistance. Anthony later says Laura reminds him of his other daughter Lucy, whom he has not seen for a long time.

Anthony is taken to a doctor and rejects the idea that he has memory problems. Later, he tells Laura how proud he is of Lucy, a painter. She tells him she is sorry about Lucy's accident, but Anthony is confused as he has no recollection of that. Over the course of the film, it becomes clear that Anthony has really been living with Anne for years, but believes he still lives in his own flat. After Anne comes home, she and her husband – who is sometimes called Paul and sometimes James, and appears as two different men – have an argument over a holiday that had to be cancelled because of Anthony's needs, and about Anne's sacrifices for her father. Paul asks Anthony how long he plans to stay in their flat and annoy everyone; this sequence of events is repeated later, and on the second occasion Paul slaps him.

Anthony wakes up and walks out of the flat, finding himself in a hospital hallway. He remembers Lucy lying in a hospital bed with blood on her face. He then wakes up in a completely different bedroom, which is in a nursing home. His nurse arrives, who earlier appeared as both Anne and Laura, but identifies herself as Catherine. She informs him that Anne lives in Paris and visits on occasional weekends. Another nurse named Bill also visits, identical to one of the men who earlier appeared to be Anne's husband. Anthony breaks down in tears over his inability to understand what is happening to him, as well as Anne's disappearance. He says he wants his mother and that he is "losing his leaves, the branches, the wind and the rain". Catherine comforts him and tells him she will take him out to the park later.

Cast

Production

It was announced in May 2019 that Florian Zeller was to direct a screenplay with Christopher Hampton based on his play. Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman were cast in the film. Olivia Williams, Rufus Sewell, Imogen Poots and Mark Gatiss joined later that month, with filming beginning on 13 May.[11] Filming locations included West London Film Studios, and Hayes, Hillingdon.[12][13]

Release

The Father had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 27 January 2020.[14] Prior to this, Sony Pictures Classics and Lionsgate acquired U.S. and U.K. distribution rights to the film, respectively.[15][16] It also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on 14 September 2020[17] and at the AFI Fest in October 2020.[18]

In the United States, the film began a limited release in New York City and Los Angeles on 26 February 2021, before expanding on 12 March and then being available on premium video on demand starting 26 March,[19] after originally being scheduled to be released on 18 December 2020.[20] The film was released in India on 23 April 2021 and in the United Kingdom on 11 June 2021,[21] delayed from earlier release dates of 8 January and 12 March in response to lockdowns as result of a second-wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.[22] The film was released in mainland China on 18 June 2021.[23]

Reception

Box office

The Father grossed $2.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $26.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $28.2 million.[1][4]

In the film's opening weekend in the United States, the film made $433,611 from 865 theatres, finishing eighth at the box office.[24] The weekend following its six Oscar nominations, the film made $355,000 from 937 theatres.[25] Following its two Oscar wins, the film made $147,000 from 713 theatres, for a running total of $1.9 million.[26]

In Spain the film made $171,901 in its opening weekend from 156 theatres, then $160,378 in its second and $54,901 in its third.[27]

Critical response

File:Anthony Hopkins-Tuscan Sun Festival.jpg
Anthony Hopkins's performance garnered widespread critical acclaim, with some calling it the finest of his career. He won his second Academy Award for Best Actor at age 83, making him the oldest Best Actor winner.

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that Lua error in Module:Rotten_Tomatoes_data at line 72: invalid escape sequence near '"^'. of Lua error in Module:Rotten_Tomatoes_data at line 72: invalid escape sequence near '"^'. critics' reviews were positive, with an average rating of Lua error in Module:Rotten_Tomatoes_data at line 72: invalid escape sequence near '"^'.. The website's critics consensus reads: "Led by stellar performances and artfully helmed by writer-director Florian Zeller, The Father presents a devastatingly empathetic portrayal of dementia."[28] Metacritic assigned it a weighted average score of 88 out of 100 based on 51 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[29] According to PostTrak, 84% of audience members gave the film a positive score, with 54% saying they would definitely recommend it.[24]

Writing for Variety, Owen Gleiberman said "The Father does something that few movies about mental deterioration in old age have brought off in quite this way, or this fully. It places us in the mind of someone losing his mind—and it does so by revealing that mind to be a place of seemingly rational and coherent experience."[30] For The Guardian, Benjamin Lee wrote of Hopkins's performance: "It's astounding, heartbreaking work, watching him try to rationally explain to himself and those around him what he's experiencing. In some of the film's most quietly upsetting moments, his world has shifted yet again but he remains silent, knowing that any attempt to question what he's woken up to will only fall on deaf ears. Hopkins runs the full gamut of emotions from fury to outrage to longing for his mother like a little child and never once does it feel like a constructed character bit, despite our association with him as an actor with a storied career."[31]

Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "The best film about the wages of aging since Amour eight years ago, The Father takes a bracingly insightful, subtle and nuanced look at encroaching dementia and the toll it takes on those in close proximity to the afflicted. Fronted by a stupendous performance from Anthony Hopkins as a proud [man] in denial of his condition, this penetrating work marks an outstanding directorial debut by the play's French author Florian Zeller."[32]

Writing for Indiewire, David Ehrlich said: "Zeller adapts his award-winning play of the same name with steely vision and remarkable confidence, as the writer-director makes use of the camera like he's been standing behind one for his entire life. ... In Zeller's hands, what appears to be a conventional-seeming portrait of an unmoored old man as he rages against his daughter and caretaker slowly reveals itself to be the brilliant study of a mind at sea, and of the indescribable pain of watching someone drown."[33]

Writing for The New York Times, Jeannette Catsoulis said The Father is "stupendously effective and profoundly upsetting" and described it as a "majestic depiction of things falling away".[34] The Guardian's Anne Billson ranked Hopkins's performance in the film as the best of his career.[35]

Selections

Accolades

Award Category Recipient Result Ref.
AACTA International Awards
(10th)		 Best International Actor Anthony Hopkins Nominated [41]
Best International Supporting Actress Olivia Colman Won
Best International Screenplay Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton Nominated
Best International Film Florian Zeller Nominated
AARP's Movies for Grownups Awards Best Actor Anthony Hopkins Won [42]
Academy Awards Best Picture David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi and Philippe Carcassonne Nominated [43]
Best Actor Anthony Hopkins Won
Best Supporting Actress Olivia Colman Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton Won
Best Film Editing Yorgos Lamprinos Nominated
Best Production Design Peter Francis and Cathy Featherstone Nominated
Austin Film Critics Association Awards Best Actor Anthony Hopkins Nominated [44]
Best Supporting Actress Olivia Colman Nominated
Best Screenplay Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton Nominated
Best Editing Yorgos Lamprinos Nominated
British Academy Film Awards Best Film Philippe Carcassonne, Jean-Louis Livi and David Parfitt Nominated [45]
Best British Film Florian Zeller, Philippe Carcassonne, Jean-Louis Livi,
David Parfitt and Christopher Hampton		 Nominated
Best Actor in a Leading Role Anthony Hopkins Won
Best Adapted Screenplay Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton Won
Best Editing Yorgos Lamprinos Nominated
Best Production Design Peter Francis Nominated
British Independent Film Awards Best Independent British Film Nominated [46]
Best Director Florian Zeller Nominated
Best Actor Anthony Hopkins Won
Best Screenplay Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton Won
Best Editing Yorgos Lamprinos Won
Best Production Design Peter Francis Nominated
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards Best New Filmmaker Florian Zeller Won [47]
Best Actor Anthony Hopkins Won
César Awards Best International Film Won [48]
Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival Audience Choice Award Won [49]
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Best Actor Anthony Hopkins Nominated [50]
Best Screenplay Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton Nominated
Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Actor Anthony Hopkins Nominated [51]
Best Supporting Actress Olivia Colman Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton Nominated
Best Editing Yorgos Lamprinos Nominated
Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial – First-Time Feature Film Florian Zeller Nominated [52]
European Film Awards Best Film The Father Nominated [53]
Best Director Florian Zeller Nominated
Best Screenwriter Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton Won
Best Actor Anthony Hopkins Won
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards Best Director Florian Zeller Nominated [54]
Best First Film Nominated
Best Actor Anthony Hopkins Won
Best Adapted Screenplay Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton Nominated
Georgia Film Critics Association Awards Best Film Nominated [55]
Best Actor Anthony Hopkins Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Olivia Colman Nominated
Best Screenplay Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Motion Picture – Drama Nominated [56]
[57]
Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama Anthony Hopkins Nominated
Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Olivia Colman Nominated
Best Screenplay Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton Nominated
Goya Awards (Spain) Best European Film Florian Zeller Won [58]
Hollywood Critics Association Awards Best Film Nominated [59]
Best Actor Anthony Hopkins Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Olivia Colman Nominated
Best Screenplay Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton Nominated
Best Editing Yorgos Lamprinos Nominated
Houston Film Critics Society Awards Best Picture Nominated [60]
Best Actor Anthony Hopkins Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Olivia Colman Nominated
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Best Editing Yorgos Lamprinos Won [61]
London Critics Circle Film Awards Best British Film Nominated [62]
Best Actor Anthony Hopkins Nominated
Best British Actor Nominated
Premios CEC (Spain) Best Foreign Film Florian Zeller Nominated [63]
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards Best Director Nominated [64]
Best Actor Anthony Hopkins Nominated
Best Screenplay Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton Won
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards Best Actor Anthony Hopkins Nominated [65]
Best Supporting Actress Olivia Colman Nominated
Best Editing Yorgos Lamprinos Nominated
San Sebastián International Film Festival Audience Award Won [66]
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role Anthony Hopkins Nominated [67]
Outstanding Supporting Actress Olivia Colman Nominated
Satellite Awards Best Film Nominated [68]
Best Director Florian Zeller Nominated
Best Actor Anthony Hopkins Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Olivia Colman Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton Won
Best Editing Yorgos Lamprinos Nominated
Telluride Film Festival Silver Medallion Award Anthony Hopkins Won
Toronto International Film Festival Tribute Award Won [69]
Audience Award Nominated [70]
Zurich Film Festival Golden Eyes Award Olivia Colman Won [71]
Golden Rooster Awards (China) Best International Film Won [72]

References

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External links

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