The Father (2020)

IMDb plot summary: A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. When he tries to understand what is happening around him, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.

Directed by Florian Zeller. Stars Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, and Mark Gatiss.

The Father is a 2020 movie starring Anthony Hopkins as an aging man being cared for by his daughter, played by Olivia Colman-- or, at least played by her most of the time. Hopkins is dealing with dementia and frequently finds himself confused by the time and place he is in. This is represented by having different actors play the people around him, and the narrative hops around in linear time to show how difficult it is for him to track the world that he is living in. This film is heartbreaking. It's beautifully acted by everyone involved and does such an excellent job of putting you inside the mind of someone trying so hard to hold on to their memory while it seems to be slipping away from them. The frustration Hopkins shows to people around him is so easily understood as frustration with his situation and the impossibility of trying to hold it together. This is a gut punch of a movie, but it is done extremely well and if this is the kind of story that is appealing to you, this is definitely a really well told version of it.

How it entered my Flickchart:

The Father (2020)

beat Dressed to Kill (#1992 → #1999)

beat Zoolander (#994 → #1017)

lost to A Man for All Seasons (held at #498)

beat Megamind (#746 → #752)

lost to Buried (#622 → #620)

beat 5 Centimeters per Second (#684 → #686)

beat Scream (#653 → #654)

lost to The Bay (#637 → #636)

beat What About Bob? (#645 → #684)

lost to Dawn of the Dead (#641 → #639)

beat Naked (#643 → #644)

beat The Player (#642 → #643)

Ranked #661/3989 on my Flickchart. Flickscore™: 83.