In The Father, Greg and Zanna see a vision of the future.
SCORES
Level of emotion: 5
Level of horror: 5
Level of hope: 0
SHE SAW
There were far too many people at the advance screening of The Father for it to be a media screening. Who were all these people? Some
of them appeared to be not particularly interested in the film because they talked over the opening credits and one, in close proximity to us, directed her friend to go and get a coffee right as the movie was beginning. I was confused, but not nearly as confused as I would be for the next 97 minutes.
It's incredibly hard to stop your brain trying to make sense of things. It's a natural reflex that's almost wholly futile while watching The Father, a movie that puts the audience in the shoes of a dementia patient played by Anthony Hopkins. Anthony, also the character's name – blurring reality and fiction – is the only person we can be truly certain is who they say they are. I later learned film-maker Florian Zeller changed the lead character's name, which was Andre in the play on which the film is based, because he wanted Hopkins to connect more readily with his own emotions. It worked: his performance is outstanding and utterly heartbreaking but reading how emotional 83-year-old Hopkins was on set during some of the most devastating scenes, it does seem an ethically dubious directing technique.
The cinematography is beautifully disorientating, with long, tracking shots down hallways and in and out of rooms that change so subtly I was never quite sure they'd changed: "Is that the same kitchen?" "Wasn't that doorway a different colour last time?" "Is that the same street corner he saw last time he looked out that window?" The film does an excellent job of walking a fine line between being completely incoherent and making just enough sense to keep the viewer actively engaged.
I cried more than once. It's the most affecting film I've seen in a long time, possibly ever. Afterwards, Greg started talking to the publicist (I was in no state to be talking to anyone), who explained it was a test screening to see if it was too traumatic for people currently dealing with dementia. That's who all those people in the audience were. I don't know what the results of the post-viewing survey were but I'd be surprised if anyone could read the forms for all the tear stains.
HE SAW
