Anthony Hopkins’ character in “The Father” can be very charming…sometimes. At 80, he’s still spry and mischievous but is suffering from dementia and is placing a massive burden on his daughter, played by Olivia Colman.
That’s the crux of Florian Zeller’s drama “The Father,” which made its debut at Sundance and is playing at TIFF. Sony Pictures Classics acquired the film ahead of its premiere at Sundance and has now set a limited theatrical release date of December 18 for the film in Los Angeles and New York (assuming theaters are open by then), followed by a rollout in most major markets by Christmas Day.
But while the film has already been a hit with critics (the film has an 87 on Metacritic) and has generated awards buzz for Hopkins, this is the first look most audiences will have at the complicated grief caused by a person whose grip on reality is slowly unraveling.
“I don’t know what she’s cooking up against me, but she’s cooking something up,” Hopkins says suspiciously in the trailer. “I’m not leaving my flat! I am NOT leaving my flat. This really is my flat…isn’t it?
Zeller wrote “The Father” with Christopher Hampton, and the film also stars Mark Gatiss, Rufus Sewell, Imogen Poots and Olivia Williams. “The Father” was co-produced by Trademark Films, F Comme Film, Ciné-@ and Les Films du Cru and financed by Viewfinder and Embankment, and the producers are David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi, Philippe Carcassonne, Christophe Spadone and Simon Friend.
Hopkins is even receiving this year’s TIFF Tribute Actor Award on Tuesday, and you can check out TheWrap’s interview with Hopkins here.
Watch the first trailer for “The Father” above.
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