The Father (2020 film)

The Father is a 2020 psychological drama film, directed by Florian Zeller in his directorial debut. He co-wrote the screenplay with fellow playwright Christopher Hampton on the basis of Zeller's 2012 play Le Père. A French–British co-production, the film stars Anthony Hopkins as an octogenarian man living with dementia. Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss, Imogen Poots, Rufus Sewell, and Olivia Williams also star.

The Father premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on 27 January 2020. After its wide release was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was released in France on 26 May 2021 and in the UK on 11 June 2021. The film grossed $36 million worldwide 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 the portrayal of dementia. At the 93rd Academy Awards, The Father received six nominations, including Best Picture; Hopkins won Best Actor and Zeller and Hampton won Best Adapted Screenplay. Since then, it has been cited as one of the best films of the 2020s and the 21st century.

Plot

Anne visits her father Anthony in his flat after he has driven away the latest of several carers. 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 carer 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 carer, she will have to move him into a nursing home.