Archive for the ‘Florian Zeller’ Category

Leaves Falling off a Branch

The Father

Director: Florian Zeller

Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Rufus Sewell, Olivia Williams, Imogen Poots, Mark Gatiss

Film Rating 9.5 out of 10

French playwright Florian Zeller, deftly converts his play about a father suffering from dementia into a beautifully wrought and touching film called The Father featuring two absolutely brilliant performances by Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs) as Anthony, a retired engineer living in a plush London apartment and his daughter Anne played in a heart wrenching performance by Oscar winner Olivia Colman (The Favourite).

Sir Anthony Hopkins at the age of 83 inhabits every frame of this beautiful film, as the ageing Anthony, deceptively clinging onto an imagined reality which is forever shifting, an emotional minefield made treacherous and poignant by the enduring love of his daughter Anne, who has to not only take care of her father but make the extraordinarily difficult decision to place her father in a care facility so that she can continue with her life.

Hopkins won the 2021 Best Actor Oscar for this film. His performance is incredible, utterly nuanced and touching, at once witty and incorrigible but endearing and extremely moving.

Olivia Colman is also extraordinary, conveying all the emotional difficulty of a middle aged daughter who is desperate to move on with her life, especially at the urgent request of her charming but ruthless husband Paul played by Rufus Sewell (The Illusionist, A Knight’s Tale, Judy).

What makes The Father such an impressive film is the complex script co-written by Oscar winning screenwriter Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons) along with Florian Zeller and the ever-shifting non-linear narrative is expertly edited by Yorgos Lamprinos, deceptively drawing the audience into a world which is both imaginary and instantly recognizable. The last battle ground in a family is always the home.

Significantly, The Father is a sharp and relevant film commenting on how the elderly are treated and how they can suffer emotionally, psychologically and mentally, without fully grasping what is happening to them. How this old age deterioration of dementia can have a devastating effect on their children.

Intelligently acted and elegantly crafted, The Father is a stunning work of dramatic art expertly transferred to the cinema.

Based on the play by Florian Zeller, The Father is a masterclass of screen acting and gets a film rating of 9.5 out of 10. Highly recommended viewing.

Film Directors & Festivals
Reviews and Awards
Review Calender
December 2024
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031  
  • ‘The Firefighters,’ ‘Moana 2,’ ‘Wicked’ Lead Korea Box Office
    Local hit “The Firefighters” led the South Korean box office, which returned to its sluggish ways after a brief spell that showed signs of recovery. In its second weekend, “The Firefighters” climbed from second place to first with a $4.3 million gross, 657,124 admissions and a 41.9% market share, according to data from Kobis, the […]
    Naman Ramachandran
  • ‘Gilmore Girls’ Now Streaming on Hulu
    All seven seasons of the beloved WB family dramedy “Gilmore Girls” became available for streaming on Hulu Monday. In connection with the surprise drop of the series, Hulu has also added a “Holiday Episode” collection tray on the show’s main page, which compiles all the Christmassy episodes in one place including Season 1, Episode 9: […]
    Jack Dunn
  • ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Makes Modest Debut as ‘Her Story’ Maintains Lead at Sluggish China Box Office
    Maxtime Pictures’ “Her Story,” a comedy-drama film told from a largely female perspective, topped the mainland China box office for the fourth consecutive weekend. The box office remained sluggish despite a few new releases, with Hollywood holdover “Moana 2” dropping out of the top five and Sony’s “Kraven the Hunter” making a modest debut. Data […]
    Naman Ramachandran
  • Zakir Hussain, Grammy-Winning Indian Musician, Dies at 73
    Zakir Hussain, virtuoso of the tabla instrument and a towering figure in Indian classical music, died on Dec. 15 of chronic lung disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, at a hospital in San Francisco. He was 73. “His prolific work as a teacher, mentor and educator has left an indelible mark on countless musicians. He hoped to […]
    Naman Ramachandran
  • Disney+ Hotstar India’s ‘Thukra Ke Mera Pyaar’ Breaks Platform Records (EXCLUSIVE)
    Disney+ Hotstar India series “Thukra Ke Mera Pyaar” has emerged as the platform’s most-watched show of 2024, setting new benchmarks in its first 16 days of streaming. The Hindi-language drama also has the highest subscriber count for any show on the platform in the past four years. Set in India’s heartland, the series features newcomers […]
    Naman Ramachandran
  • Read More
    Different providers offer different cell phones, so take a look at the options from each provider to choose the right one for you. You may also want to look into any promotions that the providers have to offer, such as free cell phones in exchange for signing a contract. Tags: 2gmhass90