The Paper's reporter Wang Yi
On May 13, the movie "The Father" starring Anthony Hopkins was officially announced, and an exclusive Poster and Trailer for China was released, and the film will land in Chinese mainland theaters on the eve of Father's Day on June 18.
"Father Trapped in Time" is a 2020 feature film directed and written by Florian Zeller, adapted from his 2012 stage play "Father", which is also the first time Zeller has picked up the directing tube and launched his solo film debut. Featuring Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Coleman, Mark Gatis, Imogen Guy Potts, Lucius Sevier and Olivia Williams, the film tells the story of an elderly man lost in alzheimer's hallucinations.
Anthony Hopkins plays an old father with dementia.
"Father Trapped in Time" has received universal acclaim since its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2020, with Hopkins and Coleman playing the elderly father and the middle-aged daughter who is at a loss for change and struggling to adapt. Their wonderful performances and performances of Alzheimer's disease have made the world praised in addition to moving. The film also won two awards this year' Oscars for Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Stills from "Father Trapped in Time"
From Paris to London, the film comes from stage plays
With the advent of the global aging society, in recent years, there has been no shortage of films on the big screen that focus on the life of middle-aged and elderly people. In 2014, "Still Alice," starring star Julian Moore, was a film about how a professor of linguistics with Alzheimer's disease struggled with sudden dementia. Moore's line in the film, "I'd rather have cancer than live like this." Not only was it impressive, but it also helped her win the Academy Award for Best Actress for the first time the following year.
At the heart of the story of "Father Trapped in Time" is the usually recognized parent-child relationship - at some stage of life, the child becomes the caregiver, and the parents are raised, which is probably an inevitable reality for all of us.
Screenwriter and director Florian Zeller (right) speaks to the heroine.
Director Florian Zeller, who has moved from the world of theater to film, is accustomed to establishing a relationship with the audience that he uses the French word "ludique" to describe, which means close to "naughty" - in "Father Trapped in Time", Anthony's character's Alzheimer's disease gradually worsens and affects every aspect of his life, and we feel the world through his deranged perspective. In the words of the director, the audience should have a feeling of "groping forward in the maze".
Zeller said, "In a way, it's like a suspense film. It invites the audience into the story through the unfolding of the plot, and my stage play is exactly that. I hope to further reduce the audience's sense of distance from the characters in the play. We had Tony (Anthony Hopkins' nickname) to play Anthony, an actor who was very charismatic in everything. But seeing him play with Olivia, the best actress of my generation, made me excited. The story is about you becoming the parent of your parents at some point, and Olivia's Anne is the central character of the story, and she must make a decision about whether to take charge of her own life or her father's life. ”
Anthony Hopkins
The original play "Father" was set in Paris, and for the film was changed to London, co-screenwriter Christopher Hampton, who is also the royal English translator of Zeller's French play, said that the two did not worry that doing so would make the story more difficult to understand, "Florian's work has an audience all over the world." The film shows human emotions, relationships, and empathy—where the setting is, most of the time, irrelevant. ”
Hampton was also careful to emphasize that "Father Trapped in Time" is not a medical treatise. "It's not about the disease and the people who have it." He explains, "Father Trapped in Time is an artistic way to show how Alzheimer's affects those around patients — those who are affected. I also think the script of this movie is unexpectedly funny. Producer David Parfit agrees, saying the film is "in some ways like a black comedy."
The director talks to the male and female protagonists.
Anthony plays Anthony
"When I started adapting the stage play, I always had an Anthony Hopkins face in my head." Zeller said, "I firmly believe that he will play this role and hit people's hearts." I thought of him when I first wanted to make movies. The only reason I chose to make an English film was him: it was possible to ask him to act. So, I had him in my imagination. The protagonist's name is Anthony because of him. ”
The writer and director's "because of people" impressed Anthony Hopkins, who was filming in Los Angeles, and although he was past the age of the staff, he was still busy with schedules. "Taking on this film," Hopkins said, "made me think hard about my end." In a sense, I felt that making this film might allow me to avoid Alzheimer's disease! The process was very interesting when we recited Florian's colloquial dialogue on set. In some ways, by the time the camera starts, I don't need to perform with my acting skills! ”
"I'm 82 now, older than my father was when he died. I feel like I understood Anthony from the beginning – in a way, I was playing my father. Asked how old he was and when he planned to retire, Hopkins' answer was as decisive as ever: "If I stop performing, I'm dead." I have to be an old fighter! A survivor! In the movie, Hopkins starred under his real name, the old man in the play is called "Anthony", and the birthday is also the Buddha's "December 31, 1937".
Olivia Colman
Olivia Coleman, who played against Anthony Hopkins, has gone wider and wider in recent years. In 2019, she finally won the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in "Darling". Industry insiders commented that Coleman has a special magic that can grasp the essence of the character and make the audience feel empathy; the audience will believe that her every word and deed is the character herself. This is a talent that only a few actors have, and in addition to this pursuit of truth, her humble work attitude is also touching: it is this sincerity that will reach the hearts of the audience and make their hearts move with the actors.
Speaking about what attracted her to "Father Trapped in Time," Coleman said, "For me, it's always the words that strike me. If the script is good enough, I will act. She added, "There are some directors who are new to the film and are a little stubborn about their work. But Florian is the opposite: extraordinarily atmospheric, considerate, and empathetic. He's very nice to get along with and the only one who really understands the content of the film. Christopher Hampton, who co-wrote and translated the script, also helped us a lot. The people I work with are very accommodating, so I start working with a pleasant mood every time. ”
One of the ideas embodied in the script of "Father Trapped in Time" is its universality - the problems explored in this film are more or less directly experienced, and few people have been spared. This resonated with Coleman, "My lovely mother used to be a nurse who specialized in geriatric care, and I remember watching her take care of patients as a child. My parents were still young enough to take care of themselves, and our relationship was not yet interchangeable. But I've seen my mother take care of my grandmother, so the day when it's my turn to play isn't far away. ”
Father and Daughter
Editor-in-charge: Cheng Yu
Proofreader: Ding Xiao