THE FATHER

BEST PICTURE
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
BEST FILM EDITING
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
BEST WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

Anthony is 80, living defiantly alone and rejecting the home healthcare aides that his daughter, Anne, introduces. Yet help is a necessity as she can’t make daily visits anymore and Anthony begins to doubt his family, his surroundings and his grip on reality.

David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi and Philippe Carcassonne

With better than a middling chance of winning Best Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing, and Production Design, there’s no reason “The Father” couldn’t make a case for Best Picture. It also has two acting nominations. The Academy’s love for the film is apparent. However, when you look at the seven other Best Picture nominees, it lands at the bottom of the pile, with “Nomadland” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7” being the favorites to win.

David Parfitt

1992 (65th)	Best Live Action Short	“Swan Song”	NOMINATED
1998 (71st)	Best Picture	“Shakespeare In Love”	WON

Jean-Louis Livi | Philippe Carcassonne

— 1st time Nominee —

Anthony Hopkins

Anthony is 80, living defiantly alone and rejecting the home healthcare aides that his daughter, Anne, introduces. Yet help is a necessity as she can’t make daily visits anymore and Anthony begins to doubt his family, his surroundings and his grip on reality.

There’s no denying the Academy’s love for Anthony Hopkins. He’s had five previous nominations and one win. The BAFTAs awarded him with Best Lead Actor, but they’re known to skew toward their resident actors. That said, Chadwick Boseman has been sweeping the awards so far and I see no reason for that not to continue.

Anthony Hopkins

1991 (64th)	Best Actor in a Leading Role	“The Silence of the Lambs”	WON
1993 (66th)	Best Actor in a Leading Role	“The Remains of the Day”	NOMINATED
1995 (68th)	Best Actor in a Leading Role	“Nixon”	NOMINATED
1997 (70th)	Best Actor in a Supporting Role	“Amistad”	NOMINATED
2019 (92nd)	Best Actor in a Supporting Role	“The Two Popes”	NOMINATED

Olivia Colman

Anne navigates the struggles of finding assistance for her father, who is suffering from dementia, after she moves him out of his flat and decides that she will not be able to visit him on a daily basis.

Never say never, but personally speaking, I see Olivia Colman as the fifth in a strong category of women. Yuh-Jung Youn and Glenn Close appear to be the front-runners, while Maria Bakalova could be the category’s dark horse. I even see Amanda Seyfried as a stronger contender here.

OLIVIA COLMAN

2018 (91st)

Best Actress in a Leading Role

“The Favourite”

WON

Yorgos Lamprinos

Yorgos Lamprinos took chances as the editor of “The Father,” and I feel like it’s easy to fall into two camps in response. You either loved the erratic editing, which makes you feel like you have dementia, or you found it contrived. I fell into the latter. My pick would “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” which found a way to make a courtroom drama so fascinating with edited storytelling that caused drama. “Sound of Metal” and “Nomadland” were also strong in the editing department. However, this is a category that could easily be up in the air.

Yorgos Lamprinos

— 1st time Nominee —

Production Design: Peter Francis
Set Decoration: Cathy Featherstone

There’s a subtlety to the Production Design of “The Father” that would take multiple viewings to appreciate genuinely. The set design seems to change every time the camera cuts. That constant change adds to the viewer’s confusion, as they feel like they’re dealing with the main character’s dementia. But subtlety can be easy to overlook. And that might be the case with “The Father.” So far, “Mank” has been the winner of all the art directing awards. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Tenet” could also end up being solid contenders.

Peter Francis | Cathy Featherstone

— 1st time Nominee —

Screenplay by Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller

Best Adapted Screenplay is a tough category to predict this year, partly because “Nomadland” was ineligible for the Writers Guild. With Chloé Zhao being the awards darling this year, I could see her easily winning the award here. I also see “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” as a dark horse, having won the Writers Guild Award. However, “The Father” has a lot of love behind it. It’s the only other Best Picture nominee besides “Nomadland,” which can go a long way if the Academy likes the film.

Christopher Hampton

1988 (61st)	Best Adapted Screenplay	“Dangerous Liaisons”	WON
2007 (80th)	Best Adapted Screenplay	“Atonement”	NOMINATED

Florian Zeller

— 1st time Nominee —