The Father

When I heard about this film, I really wanted to see it. It's not my typical go to watch but I was interested in the main topic because it's such a sensitive story to tackle. I heard a lot of Oscar buzz and did worry I wouldn't enjoy it as much. A bit like the film Nomadland. I liked it but it was overhyped for me and I didn't think it was as good as everyone said it was.

However this is far from the case for The Father and I'm just going to say it; I absolutely loved this film. This film is incredible. I'm not going to do this review by a my usual structure because this is a film that needs to be seen and talked about.

What makes this such a special film is how the topic of Dementia is explored. How the film is paced, structured and edited can appear a bit confusing but upon rewatch, you realize how realistic dementia is explored in this film. It isn't overblown or given the Hollywood treatment. It feels like the writers and director actually researched this serious issue and had medical experts on set.

Each scene we see is so thorough and really explores the condition with ease. Some scenes are out of place, some scenes are repeated, others don't even happen in reality and it will play with the audiences mind but that's the reality with dementia. What we see is now dementia affects the mind.

But the secret ingredient to this film is Mr Anthony Hopkins himself. This man is amazing in this film and gives one of the most versatile performance I have ever seen. He is charming, charismatic, funny, scary, intimidating and sympathetic in just over 90 minutes and he just makes it look so easy when acting is one of the hardest jobs in the world. This man deserved his Oscar win. 

This film is not an easy watch and I strongly advice those to know who you are before you see it. This is not a rewatchable film either and even that I'll say is a positive. Dementia is a condition that will resonate with so many people and one watch of this film will be enough to win their hearts over.

On a very rare occasion, I have no negatives for this film at all. The Father is a masterpiece and whilst this is not my sort of film at all, I will always appreciate the experience of seeing it.

Sensitively and realistically explored, incredibly acted and beautifully made, I can't say this enough, this is an incredible film and easily my favourite film of the year. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐