PHOTOS: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman dissect dementia in The Father

In Florian Zeller’s “The Father,” Anthony, 80, in the grip of dementia, is a captain ready to go down with the ship. Overhearing his daughter and son-in-law contemplating a nursing home, he curses them as “rats” abandoning him. Pacing his London apartment in a bath robe, he mounts a noble resistance. “I am not leaving my flat!” he shouts. In staging and perspective, “The Father” mimics the disorientation of dementia. Anthony, a regally theatrical man played by Anthony Hopkins, is an actor who every time he takes the stage, the scene has changed before him. Timelines, settings and faces are all kaleidoscoped by a splintered memory. His ship — his flat — might not even be his.

Published on: Feb 24, 2021 4:12 PM IST

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Olivia Colman in a scene from "The Father." Zeller has cast Olivia Colman as Anthony’s caretaking daughter, Anne, and another Olivia, Olivia Williams, as who Anne sometimes appears to Anthony. (AP)

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This image released by Sony Pictures Classics shows Olivia Colman, left, and Anthony Hopkins in a scene from "The Father." “The Father,” which opens in theaters Friday, is Zeller’s directorial debut but he’s a well-known French playwright and author who’s here adapting his own play, one that’s been put on around the world. (AP)

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Anthony Hopkins in a scene from "The Father." On Broadway, the father, named Andre, was played by Frank Langella. In London, it was Alfred Molina. (AP)

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This image released by Sony Pictures Classics shows Anthony Hopkins in a scene from "The Father." Anthony paces his London apartment in a bath robe, and mounts a noble resistance. “I am not leaving my flat!” he shouts. (AP)