Oscars 2021: 10 Best Picture Movie Contenders

Of all the bleak films released in 2020, Florian Zeller's The Father has to be the most devastating of them all. The movie is an adaptation of Zeller's own equally heartbreaking play Le Pére that follows an ageing man who must come to terms with his progressing dementia and memory loss and the effect that disease has on his loved ones.

The film is astonishing in how completely and impactfully it explores the grievous experience of losing one's mind and being fully aware of it. It powerfully details the toll that is taken on the sufferers of this disease that shouldn't exist, and their loved ones who can do nothing but stand by and watch.

Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman, who play the father and daughter respectively, deliver suitably effective performances to match the film's intense and uncompromising tone. The Father is practically unrivaled in its insight and compassionate storytelling and will surely snag at least a few big nominations come awards season.