The Father

I can't remember a film that truly made me cry. Sure, there's been the occasional one which has led to a tear or two but never has a film really led to full on weeping. Until now. 

Anthony Hopkins plays Anthony, a man with dementia whose mind is gradually deteriorating. His daughter Anne (Olivia Colman) is struggling to care for him as he becomes every more difficult to manage. 

Now that description gives a certain idea of what the film will be like and the child struggling to deal with the moods of a confused dementia sufferer has been done on screen before. The Father though isn't really that story- it takes you into the mind of Anthony. 

It's quite hard to describe the plot properly because it's literally impossible to follow. Anthony is never quite sure of what's going on. Suddenly the same character is played by a different actor, or maybe they are a different character, it's rarely clear. Information is inconsistent- Anne says she is long divorced but then she lives with her husband and then she says she is moving to Paris with her new partner. Time is inconsistent too with it never being clear how long the film takes place over. Some scenes are repeated with different actors or from different angles or a detail that appears in one scene will be mentioned in one much later. The timeline is impossible to follow. 

It's a genius idea that is really well executed. I liked that fact that the true events are never really explained. By the end of the film we understand the truth of some contradictions but there are moments which are never explained. It's also fascinating watching the other characters around Anthony be annoyed or frustrated, rarely having any real understanding of what is actually going on in Anthony's head. 

Olivia Colman is always great but her role is a minor one really and the focus is very much on Anthony Hopkins. He's always been a superb actor but I think this might genuinely be the best performance of his career which is really saying something. He can be pretty scary and unpleasant at times but at others he's really charming. The film rests on you truly believing that what we see on screen is what is happening in this character's head and Hopkins achieves this perfectly. 

The ending is heartbreaking, though inevitable. Anthony has very little idea of what's going on but he understands this for perhaps the first time and it's utterly heartbreaking. I cried because losing your mind like this is utterly horrible and one of the worst things that can happen to a person. I was perhaps influenced by my own Grandmother having Alzheimer's and going from my lovely Nan to a woman whose mind had completely deteriorated. I was a pre-teen and largely sheltered from the worst of it but I know there is no way my Mum will ever be able to watch this film. 

An utterly incredible film which manages to really delve into the mind of a dementia sufferer whilst also showing the effect is had on loved ones, anchored by a stunning central performance from Hopkins.