Vwinner of 2 Oscar awards – one for Hopkins, the other for best original screenplay – on first TV tonight at 9.20pm on Rai 3 goes on air The Father – Nothing is as it seems. Film written and directed by the French Florian Zeller who tells the parable of a man suffering from Alzheimer’s. An intense and touching drama, beautifully written and acted. Hopkins’ performance is splendid but also that of Olivia Colman as his daughter.
The Father – Nothing is as it seemsthe plot of the movie
Anthony (Anthony Hopkins) is an 81-year-old man suffering from senile dementia but who cares a lot about his independence.
However, his daughter Anne (Olivia Colman) insists on having someone join him who assists him during the day. Anthony only gives in to her will when she announces that she is about to move from London to Paris with the new partner. But shortly after Anne’s visit, Paul appears in Anthony’s apartment (Mark Gatiss): Claims to have been married to his daughter for ten years. And that this is actually their apartment and that Anthony is just a guest. But most of all, Paul tells Anthony that Anne actually has no intention of leaving London.
Meanwhile, the protagonist begins to no longer recognize his daughter while Laura (Imogen Poots), the girl who should assist him, looks incredibly like his other daughter Lucy, a painter. The plots of Anthony’s daily life thus begin to blur together an increasingly distressing narrative labyrinth and touching. Until a surprising ending.
A theatrical drama beautifully brought to the big screen
Adapting his 2012 play of the same name, debut director Florian Zeller – former child prodigy of the French theater – abandons the “stage” dimension of the work, fully embracing the cinematic language. And transforming what at first glance it seems like a simple family drama in a labyrinth about senile dementia. Between nightmare and thriller.
It is clear that The Father it was designed for the theater but Zeller manages to turn the tables. Lthe protagonist’s home is the only location but his direction is there illuminate it and film only some portions of it thus giving the sensation of different places.
The Father It’s certainly not the first film to deal with dementia senile but he does it in a very original way. Zeller tells it through the gaze of the patientshowing what he sees, hears, experiences. A choice that rests on a great interpretation: that of a great Hopkinsbacked by a very good one Olivia Colman.
Olivia Colman and Anthony Hopkins in a scene from “The Father – Nothing is as it seems”. (BIM Distribution)
Anthony Hopkins, well-deserved Oscar winner
Already winner of an Academy Award in 1992 for the unforgettable role of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the LambsHopkins has repeated almost thirty years later. And, at 83 years, 3 months and 26 days, he has become the oldest actor to have won the statuette as best leading actor.
Stunning and heartbreakingHopkins’ acting work in The Father it covers the entire range of emotions. From fury to indignation, to euphoria. A gigantic, exuberant and at the same time extremely controlled interpretation, as only great actors can do. By the way, when the director Florian Zeller wrote the play and decided to call the protagonist Anthony precisely because he imagined it played by Hopkins. Which actually happened, eight years later.
In an interview with the English edition of the monthly magazine GQ, Hopkins said he was inspired by his father to play Anthony. “Although He has never suffered from dementia. My dad was a very practical guy, down to earth. He was a baker, a very straightforward man».
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