The Father

Directed by Florian Zeller, The Father follows Anthony Hopkins’ Anthony as he struggles to accept his growing memory loss and inability to recognize and identify the people around him. Filmmaker Zeller, working from a screenplay written with Christopher Hampton, offers up a progressively absorbing drama that superbly explores its protagonist’s crumbling mental state, as Zeller employs a time-shifting, character-shifting narrative that effectively (and ingeniously) represents Anthony’s fractured approach to his surroundings – with, by that same token, the off-kilter, surrealistic vibe occasionally preventing the viewer from wholeheartedly connecting to the material (ie the what’s-real-and-what’s-in-Anthony’s-head mystery is occasionally more distracting than one might’ve preferred, ultimately). It’s clear, then, that The Father‘s most potent weapon is Hopkins’ pervasively spellbinding turn as the sympathetic central character, as the actor delivers a subtle, frequently heartbreaking performance that elevates the proceedings on an almost remarkably consistent basis – with Hopkins’ career-best efforts here ultimately compensating for the picture’s less-than-engrossing stretches. By the time the emotionally-devastating final scene rolls around, The Father has undoubtedly cemented its place as a somewhat erratic yet predominantly rewarding endeavor that deftly (and convincingly) portrays dementia and its impact.

***1/2 out of ****