(PG) ****

Daddy Dearest!
By Shirl Hollenberg
Springtime is the right time to feast out out on quality movie fare. Odds on Oscar Favourite The Father is nicely poised to bring Oscar gold it’s way from the annual Hollywood festivities. Though again the celebrities will be closed in as this L.A. annual event will be strictly a closed-set socially distanced event audiences across British Columbia can enjoy one of this or any years best acted films thanks to Elevation Pictures. Call or email your local cable company or internet provider to order this charming drama.
What can you say about Sir Anthony Hopkins. This flesh eating scene stealer chews up a storm as, quite appropriately named father dearest.. The infamous Hannibal Lecktor sinks his teeth into this role as cantankerous stubborn as a mule Anthony. Not yet ready to accept change this elderly gent does not want to leave his flat despite the urging of his grown daughter Anne.
Fellow Oscar winning actor Olivia Coleman does what she can to coax dad into a home or at the very least accept a caregiver. So it’s a battle of wills. Millions of families undergo such stress when the elderly age so The Father has tremendous relevance.
This role was exclusively written for Hopkins by director Florian Zeller in what for all practical purposes is really his feature film debut. It’s an intimate heartfelt tale of a family in crisis with outstanding performances through and through. Based on this French writers award winning play The Pere you will enjoy 97 minutes of this highly relevant intimate story.