The Father (2020): Film Notes and Scores

Director:

Cast:

Poster artwork for The Father — Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

An aging man’s changing perception of his home and family unsettles his sense of reality.

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Anthony, an aging Londoner, insists he needs no help as daughter Anne explains that she may leave the city. Rooms, faces, names, and chronology begin changing around him, placing his confidence and the viewer's orientation under the same pressure.

Why it belongs

The Father deploys a subtly changing apartment and Hopkins's fearless performance to make dementia experiential rather than externally observed.

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Anthony Hopkins moves among charm, suspicion, authority, and childlike fear without announcing transitions. Reconfigured rooms, repeated entrances, swapped actors, missing objects, and contradictory conversations destabilize familiar space with theatrical meticulousness.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20

Academy Awards2 wins2021 · official ceremony record ↗

Actor in a Leading Role2021 · Anthony Hopkinsofficial ceremony record ↗Writing (Adapted Screenplay)2021 · Screenplay by Christopher Hampton and Florian Zellerofficial ceremony record ↗

BAFTA2 wins2021 · official BAFTA 2021 Film Awards results ↗

Best Actor2021 · Anthony Hopkinsofficial BAFTA 2021 Film Awards results ↗Adapted Screenplay2021 · Christopher Hampton and Florian Zellerofficial BAFTA 2021 Film Awards results ↗

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

Good for

Film Club

Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

Institutional reference ranks

Sight & Sound—IMDb Top 250143AFI 100—