The Father (2021)

An elderly man (Anthony Hopkins) suffering from dementia lives in a state of constant confusion and paranoia as his daughter (Olivia Colman) attempts to balance her personal life with taking care of him. Based on the play LE PERE by Florian Zeller who adapted his play for the screen (along with Christopher Hampton) and directed it. Frankly, I wasn't looking forward to watching this. There have been many films already dealing with the subject of dementia and Alzheimer's like AWAY FROM HER (which I liked) and STILL ALICE (which I didn't). But I was riveted to the screen from the very start. Unlike other films on the subject, Zeller throws us right into Hopkins' world so we can feel the confusion and panic of losing one's memory and worst of all, the record of our life receding away. When Hopkins asked, "Who am I?", I couldn't hold back tears. Hopkins is nothing short of sensational here and he gets good support from Oliva Colman (not an actress I'm particularly fond of) as his daughter. This isn't a sentimental tearjerker, it's a powerful experience and if the tears come, they're honest tears, not manipulated. With Olivia Williams, Rufus Sewell, Imogen Poots and Mark Gatiss.