Meu Pai

This is one of the hardest movie reviews I've ever had to write in my life.

Mainly because of the films subject matter, Dementia.

I've seen my own father succumb to this dreaded disease and it scares the hell out of my, worse than any horror movie I've watched.

I sadly remember some of the last words my own father spoke to me were, "Be a good boy at School today." I was 46 at the time.

The beauty of "The Father" is how Director, Florian Zeller, takes you into this descent of losing your grip on reality through the eyes of the marvellous veteran and Academy Award wining actor, Sir Anthony Hopkins.

At times his character Anthony is part Hannibal Lecter and at others a peaceful, but confused ageing Father to Olivia Colmans, Anne.

Another Academy Award winner who puts in a highly believable performance as his daughter who's trying to deal with helping a man who refuses to accept assistance from her or carers.

Fun Fact: Colman was named Anne is both roles she's been Oscar nominated for.

Also great supporting roles form Mark Gatiss, Olivia Williams, Imogen Poots and Rufus Sewell.

Overall "The Father" has been nominated for 6 Oscars, after already having over 20 wins in other awards and once you've seen this film you'll know why it deserves to win in Hollywood.

At 83, Hopkins, is the oldest winner of a Best Male Actor BAFTA and a dark horse to scoop up the big one.

This film feels like everything he has learnt in his craft is on display effortlessly for 97 minutes.

It's hard to believe this is Zellers' feature film directorial debut, because it's a masterclass in cinema adapted from his own acclaimed play "Le Pere" from 2012.

The role of Anthony was specifically written for Hopkins.

One of the things that got the living legend to agree to this film apart from the top shelf script (adapted by Christopher Hampton) was the inclusion of one of Hopkins favourite pieces of music from Georges Bizet Opera "The Pearl Fishers".

He's always dreamt of making a movie with this music in it.

With lines from Anthony like: "I feel as if I'm losing all my leaves" "The Father" is so close to perfect I'm giving it 10 stars.

And then you get Anthony Hopkins in THE FATHER. This is a devastatingly, heartbreakingly-brilliant performance and a great film. Hopkins' range is incredible. He goes from charming and funny to menacing to wholly lost in seconds. From man to child on a dime. It's a powerful rumination on a terrifying disease, bolstered by Sir Tony at his finest, a strong supporting turn from Olivia Colman, and an excellent script by Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller (based on Zeller's play). It's a daring move to tell the story from the perspective of Hopkins' character as his mind increasingly deteriorates. A savvy one too, as the audience is forced to engage to truly understand what is real, who is who, and where precisely we are in our protagonist's gut-wrenching journey. This may be Hopkins best work, a late-career revelation that once again reminds us why he's one of our finest cinematic performers. Be warned. If you've ever been touched by the tragedy of dementia, this film could wreck you.

Wow. This story is expertly crafted that I just don't know what is real and what isn't. Amazing acting too.

Anthony Hopkins portrays in a fantastic way how life erodes, piece by piece, when dementia takes over an old man's life. Olivia Coleman, who plays his daughter, shows with greatness how painful and sad it is to see her loved father slowly disappear into the fog. The film really grabbed me and tore my heart apart.

This is a film that stays with you. Of course there's the brilliant performances but there's more. While other films have taken on old age and dementia, those films took on coping with a significant other's condition. The difference here is that the film is from the sufferer's perspective. You therefore see these events as if you yourself have dementia. And it's stunning how, when you walk away, you know you can.