The Father appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a satisfying presentation.
Sharpness tended to be positive. A few shots showed a smidgen of softness, usually during interiors. Overall, though, detail seemed good.
I noticed no signs of jaggies or edge enhancement, and shimmering was absent. The film lacked print flaws and seemed clean.
Father went with a moderate teal impression, and some amber as well. These appeared fine within the film’s stylistic choices.
Blacks seemed dark and tight, and shadows demonstrated good clarity. I found this to be worth a “B+”.
A character drama wouldn’t seem to be a candidate for a dynamic soundtrack, and the DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio of The Father fell into expected realms. This remained a highly subdued mix, one that lacked much I could call auditory theatrics, as it stayed focused on music and light ambience.
Audio quality satisfied. The music was full and rich, while effects showed nice clarity and accuracy.
Speech – obviously an important factor here – appeared concise and crisp. Nothing here soared, but it all came together in a satisfactory manner for a story such as this.
Two featurettes appear, and Perception Check runs eight minutes, 32 seconds. It brings comments from writer/director Florian Zeller, producer David Parfitt, and actors Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss, Rufus Sewell, and Olivia Williams.
“Check” examines story/characters and the movie’s approach to these domains as well as cast and performances. It mixes decent insights –mainly from Hopkins about his own father’s influence on his performance - with praise.
Homecoming lasts seven minutes, six seconds and offers comments from Hopkins, Zeller, Colman, Parfitt, Sewell, Gatiss, Williams, production designer Peter Francis, costume designer Anna Mary Scott Robbins and director of photography Ben Smithard.
“Homecoming” views set design, Zeller’s impact on the production, costumes and photography. It becomes a good look at these subjects.
Three Deleted Scenes occupy a total of five minutes, 58 seconds. We get “I Never Asked You For Anything” (2:07), “Did He Hear?” (2:22) and “Frightened” (1:38).
These offer a bit of exposition, mainly in terms of Anne’s decision-making. All three feel unnecessary for the final film, as they take us away from Anthony too much.
The disc opens with ads for The Truffle Hunters, French Exit, The Last Vermeer, Nine Days and I Carry You With Me. We also get the trailer for Father.
Rather than follow a standard path, The Father offers a twist on the usual tale of a man with dementia. This could flop, but instead, it becomes an insightful way to approach the subject matter. The Blu-ray brings positive picture and audio along with modest bonus materials. This turns into a good examination of a difficult topic.