Florian Zeller made his directorial debut by adapting his homonymous play to the big screen with the magnificent ‘The Father’
Film genres, like energy, They are neither created nor destroyed, they only transform. These labels, which give us a general idea of the characteristics of a production without having to see it, despite usually being concise and effective, are often subject to unexpected mutations that give rise to cocktails that are as surprising as they are difficult to classify, and the jewel that I am going to tell you about next demonstrates it perfectly.
It is curious that in 2021, when films such as ‘The Empty Man’, ‘Last Night in Soho’, ‘History of the Occult’ or ‘The Woman from Hell’ were released, one of the best horror films of the year was placed within the imprecise and vague box of “drama”. But let this not raise any distrust, ‘The Father’, within the everyday life of his universe and the simplicity of its well-known premise, continues to be one of the most overwhelming experiences that we can bring to our retinas.
Everyday terrors
Making his brilliant debut on the big screen, playwright Florian Zeller adapted his own play into cinematic language to explore the darkest corners of senile dementia in 97 devastating minutes. A unique experience that turns what could have been another tearful portrait into an exercise in horror in a Polanskian style bottled in a suffocating apartment converted into an involuntary antagonist.
If something surprises about ‘The Father’ it is the way in which Zeller, with a long career in the theater and the literary world, could pass for an experienced filmmaker judging by his excellent camera work, planning and stagingan essential pillar to visually immerse ourselves in the mind of the story’s protagonist: a sick man who suffers the effects of disorientation, changing spaces and temporal inconsistencies.
With practically the same specific weight—if not more—than the director’s work, Yorgos Lamprinos’ editing is revealed as the film’s differentiating weapon. Through the cut, the Greek not only gives the film a relentless rhythm, but also brings it closer to the aforementioned horror genre, building an unbreathable atmosphere at the expense of a tempo and counterpoints unbecoming of the most conventional dramas.
As the third cornerstone of ‘The Father’, as it could not be less, we find a cast in a state of grace that extracts gold from Zeller’s sharp dialogues and in which the talents of Olivia Colman and Imogen Poots are buried by an Oscar-winning Anthony Hopkins for best lead actor for his performance, truthful and with enormous complexity diluted among its apparent simplicity.
If you want to enjoy this wonder, you have a golden opportunity tonight at 10:50 p.m., the time it is broadcast on La1 on TVE.
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