The Father
FILM NETFLIX
Anthony Hopkins won his second Oscar for his role in this 2020 drama, now available to watch on Netflix. He gives a phenomenal performance as a prickly, stubbornly independent octogenarian who is in denial about his increasing mental frailty while his weary daughter (Olivia Colman, who was also Oscarnominated) tries to find him a carer. Director Florian Zeller, adapting his own play, tackles the harrowing spectre of Alzheimer’s with subtle power, while Hopkins – bolstered by Colman and supporting performances from Imogen Poots, Olivia Williams, Rufus Sewell and Mark Gatiss – has never been better. Given his much-garlanded career, that really is saying something. ★★★★★ JB