How to watch The Father in the UK
The film nabbed several Oscar wins ahead of its UK release.
It's been a couple of months since Anthony Hopkins took home the Best Actor Oscar at this year's Academy Awards, but with The Father now out in cinemas, film fans can finally see what all the fuss was about.
The drama has won all sorts of accolades not just for its cast – which also includes Olivia Colman and Imogen Poots – but also for its script and its sensitive depiction of dementia.
Incredibly the film is the feature debut from French director Florian Zeller, who adapted his own 2012 play with help from acclaimed screenwriter Christopher Hampton.
And Zeller revealed before the release that landing Hopkins for the lead role had started out as just a dream, explaining that his friends had told him he was mad when he first announced that he hoped to cast the legendary actor.
Clearly, though, he got his way, and with the film now a multiple-award winner, it is one of the must-watch films of the summer - here's how to watch The Father in the UK.
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How to watch The Father in the UK
The Father was released in UK cinemas on Wednesday 9th June 2021.
It was originally set for a cinema release on 8th January, but was delayed several times due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Father received a theatrical release in the US in March 2021, and was made available to rent and stream through premium video-on-demand services in the States on 26th March 2021.
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The Father plot: what is the film about?
An acting masterclass from Hopkins, The Father follows ageing man Anthony struggling with memory loss as he begins to experience the symptoms of dementia. Refusing help from his daughter Anne (Colman), Anthony increasingly begins to lose his grip on reality as he experiences hallucinations, battles traumatic memories and struggles to identify his loved ones.
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The Father cast
The film belongs to Sir Anthony Hopkins in heartbreaking form as the increasingly ailing Anthony, as well as Colman as his caring daughter Anne.
Zeller has claimed that he had originally named the main character Anthony because it was his dream for the actor to play the role, but said it started out as nothing more than a dream.
“It was a dream at that stage, but it helps to have dreams,” he explained. “Everything has to start with a dream, especially in films. And it’s true that when I started to write the script – it was in French at the beginning – I used the name of the character as Anthony because it was my dream.
He continued, “And I remember when I shared my idea and my dream with my friends they thought I was mad because I’m French, this is my first feature film and he is Sir Anthony Hopkins! But my thought was that until somebody comes and tells you it’s not possible, then potentially it is.
“So I made the decision to believe in the potentiality and believe in the desire and I sent the script to Anthony through his agent and I waited. And then his agent called me and let me know that Anthony wanted to meet with me, so I took a plane to Los Angeles to meet with him and it was a very intense, powerful and joyful moment and this is how everything started."
The film also features a fine supporting cast including Mark Gatiss (Sherlock), Imogen Poots (28 Weeks Later), Rufus Sewell ( Judy) and Olivia Williams (An Education).
The Father Trailer
You can see the trailer for The Father below:
Check out what else is due for release with our new movies 2021 calendar.
Looking for something to watch now? Try our best movies on Netflix or best series on Netflix this month, or if you’re scrolling through the channels now something head to our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
