Life of Dementia Patients, the Film 'The Father' About Beings Losing Their Memories [Joohee Kang's Video Prism]

Editor's NoteHow do you remember that scene? Have you ever suddenly recalled a moment from a movie? This is likely because films are closely connected to our lives. Movies offer another perspective on reality. We present various viewpoints on reality by extracting a single scene from a film. Please note that there may be spoilers in the process of describing the scenes.

Still image from the movie 'The Father'. / Photo by Pan Cinema

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Understanding someone else's life is not an easy task. Perhaps it is nearly impossible to fully comprehend another person. Nevertheless, people have continuously strived to understand others. The reason we engage with various arts and content such as movies, novels, plays, and dramas is not only for entertainment but also to look into someone else's life. For a brief moment while engaging with a story, we pause our real-life thoughts and become part of the narrative, experiencing what others go through.

In this regard, the film The Father can be said to be a movie that attempts to minimize the distance between the characters in the story and the audience, aiming for complete immersion. Directed by Florian Zeller, The Father deals with the mental confusion of an elderly man suffering from dementia. It depicts Anthony, who spends his later years in a London apartment under the care of his daughter Anne, gradually losing his memory and becoming increasingly confused due to dementia.

The film begins with Anne rushing to meet Anthony. Anne, who found it difficult to care for her father alone, is in conflict with Anthony over bringing a new caregiver into the home. From Anne's perspective, Anthony needs someone to look after him, but he stubbornly insists that he is healthy enough to be alone and does not need anyone's help. He claims that the caregiver stole his watch and says he cannot allow such a thief into the house.

However, Anne asks as if it is familiar, "Did you check under the bathtub?" She already knows that Anthony tries to avoid the situation by using the watch excuse when a stranger comes to the house. In the end, Anne reveals that she has met someone new and that she will soon have to leave for Paris, then leaves the house.

Still image from the movie 'The Father'. / Photo by Pan Cinema

One day, a stranger's presence is felt in the house, and an unknown man visits Anthony's home. When Anthony asks who he is, the man looks at him with an expression of disbelief. He even claims to be Anne's husband and says they have been married for over ten years. Anne, who arrives late, also appears as a stranger. Faced with people telling stories completely different from what he knows, Anthony falls into shock and confusion.

The audience experiences confusion as well. The film is structured to follow only Anthony's point of view and does not provide detailed information about the events. Throughout the movie, viewers only know as much as Anthony does. As the surroundings become unclear, Anthony eventually becomes confused about his own identity, and the audience cannot accurately judge what is true.

By immersing the audience in tension and anxiety and constantly prompting questions about the cause, The Father can be considered a kind of thriller. Typical thriller films usually focus on an incident, uncovering its cause and identifying the culprit. Detective or crime films, where the protagonist struggles to catch the perpetrator, are classic examples of the thriller genre. Representative Korean films include Bong Joon-ho's Memories of Murder and Byun Young-joo's Helpless.

In contrast, The Father deviates from the typical thriller structure. There is no 'culprit' to resolve the final conflict in the story. No special incident occurs. The film constructs its plot around Anthony's consciousness itself, keeping the audience in suspense without the presence of a culprit. If one were to identify a culprit in this film, it would be Anthony himself, who is losing his memory.

Through this plot, the film allows the audience to fully experience the emotions Anthony feels. Instead of observing him from a third-person perspective, viewers are placed in a position to 'directly feel' and experience the life of an elderly man suffering from dementia.

Still image from the movie 'The Father'.
Photo by Pansinema

Anthony increasingly loses the ability to distinguish his surroundings and eventually moves from his home to a nursing facility. The nursing home is depicted as remarkably similar in layout to Anthony's London apartment. The locations of windows, bed, wardrobe, chairs, and even picture frames are alike. The audience cannot be sure whether everything that has happened so far is a product of Anthony's imagination or reality.

While the film portrays the confusing situations experienced by dementia patients, it is not limited to a specific scenario. In fact, Anthony's condition represents something anyone might face at the boundary between life and death. The film uses the real name of the actor playing Anthony, Anthony Hopkins, within the movie itself, subtly implying that the fictional story and reality are not entirely separate.

Ultimately, Anthony cannot even remember his own name properly. He breaks down in tears like a child. "I miss my mother... I don't know who I am... It feels like all my leaves are falling..." In Anthony's sobbing embrace with the caregiver, the audience confronts the poignant reality of humans succumbing to time.

The Father speaks through Anthony's character about the most vulnerable aspect of humanity: time applies equally to everyone, memories fade, and ultimately, everyone must live a finite life. It is a film that clearly faces this obvious yet often avoided truth.