Here’s how to watch The Father, a 2020 drama that won two Academy Awards at the 2021 Oscars for Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay. Directed by Florian Zeller and based on his stage production Le Père, the movie stars Anthony Hopkins as a man who has dementia. The Father originally premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2020.
The Father plays with perceptions of time as the titular character, Anthony (Hopkins), struggles with his memories and present-day realities. Olivia Colman co-stars as Anne, a woman who looks after her ailing father while trying to maintain a healthy relationship with her significant other. From Anthony's perspective, he sees his daughter's husband Paul as two different people (Rufus Sewell, Mark Gatiss) and also recognizes the personality traits of his other daughter in a caretaker named Laura (Imogen Poots). Anthony also can't pinpoint the true identity of a woman portrayed by Olivia Williams. At just 97 minutes in duration, The Father examines the fragility and power of the human mind.
After The Father's Sundance premiere, many locked-down streamers may have missed the theatrical run or didn't want to pay $19.99 for an early access streaming experience. Now that people are returning to movie theaters in some parts of the world, Zeller's film will likely gain more cultural momentum. So, what's the best way to watch The Father? Here are your options.
The Father is available to watch on several streaming services. Unfortunately, the Oscar-winning film can't be accessed with a subscription to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, or other popular platforms. As of now, The Father is available to buy for $19.99 at Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango Now, Vudu, Microsoft Store, and Redbox. The film will be available to rent at a reduced cost on May 18, 2021.
Starting on May 26, 2021, The Father will release theatrically in France. Zeller's film will later release in the UK on June 11, 2021. In North America, The Father is still playing in theaters and may receive an extended run because of the Academy Award accolades. For those who are interested in a primer before watching Zeller's movie, it may be worth checking out other films written by the two-time Oscar winner Christopher Hampton. The 1988 film Dangerous Liaisons (HBO Max) was based on his own play and shows the writer's ability to incorporate cheeky comedy into a historical period drama, while the 2007 movie Atonement (IMDb TV) features subject matter that's similar in tone to The Father.