The Father (2020)

You can feel the stage play under The Father: one flat, a handful of faces, and scenes that loop back on themselves. Some viewers will find the loops frustrating, and the single setting never fully shakes off its theater roots. Then you realize the confusion is the point. Florian Zeller puts you where Anthony is, and the floor never stops shifting. Anthony Hopkins is extraordinary. He can be charming, even playful, telling a new carer he used to be a tap dancer, then sharp with his daughter a minute later, then completely lost, all inside one scene. Olivia Colman plays Anne with a tired, loving patience that breaks your heart, especially when she thinks nobody is watching. Small things change, a lamp, a kitchen, a face, and you feel his fear before you can name it. It made $23.2 million worldwide on a reported $6M. A 9.4 because it’s the most honest film about memory loss we have. $30.56 says you pull out an old family photo album this week and ask someone to tell you who everyone is.

What works: Anthony Hopkins gives one of the great performances of his career, and the shifting rooms and faces put you inside Anthony’s confusion without a single cheap trick.

What doesn’t: The looping scenes can feel like a puzzle to solve rather than a story to feel, and the stage roots show in its confined setting.

Who it’s for: Viewers ready for a quiet, demanding drama, especially anyone who has cared for an aging parent and wants to feel understood.