Anthony ist ein 80 Jahre alter Mann, der an fortschreitender Demenz leidet. Doch er will keine Hilfe annehmen und weigert sich, sein Schicksal anzuerkennen. Das Drama THE FATHER schildert schmerzhaft ehrlich und beeindruckend wahrhaftig, was Demenz mit den Opfern und Angehörigen macht. Der besondere Coup des Films ist die gewählte Perspektive, die das Geschehen konsequent aus Sicht des Erkrankten zeigt.

"THE FATHER is a horror movie with not a single supernatural element: All of its terrors are implied, drawn from the tricks the human mind plays on itself, even more so in old age. ...

Anthony doesn’t always know what’s happening, and neither do we, all by design. Even the flat around him changes shape, its walls and the pictures hanging on them registering differently from one scene to another. Is Anthony’s family gaslighting him, as an attempt to get his flat? Or is he imagining all of this? None of that is clear until the movie’s crushing final scene. THE FATHER is a polished piece of work but an unsparing one, offering no false assurances." (--- Stephanie Zacharek, Time Out)