Abstract
This paper examines Christopher Hampton’s 2014 translation of Florian Zeller's 2012 play, The Father, and its 2020 film adaption. Both portray the loss of patriarchal authority and reversion to childhood from the perspective of the title character. The play uses episodic short scenes in a minimalist setting, whereas the film, with its screenplay by Hampton and Zeller, focuses on the protagonist’s claustrophobic inner vulnerability and the frustrations of his care-givers. Rather than opening out the mise-en-scène, the film adaptation maximizes the internal landscape, with its fear of senility and loss of identity, as experienced by an elderly dementia patient. This paper argues that the ‘insider’ portrayal of dementia in the play and the film promotes awareness-raising, encouraging audiences to engage with the representation of urgent social issues, and with mental health in particular.
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