All That Matters (2020)

It’s dark, uncomfortable, and there are things that don’t make sense.

How do zombie films shine new light in the post-Covid and post-Brexit era?

With The Father, writer-director Florian Zeller- who wrote and developed the play upon which the film is based- pulls no punches as he confidently makes every effort to put the audience in the mind of someone whose grip on reality has all but vanished. It’s a dazzling testament to Zeller’s abilities as a director as he makes his first transition from stage to film appear as if he’s been working behind a camera his entire career. The dialogue he fashions with co-writer Christopher Hampton, along with the work of production designers Peter Francis and Cathy Featherstone, collectively makes the downward spiral of dementia startlingly tangible, doing so in a way that can be comprehended by everyone except the person it directly affects.

Viewers get a glimpse of life of mediocrity in a world where humans and cartoon characters live together in this comeback.

“To be universal, you have to get specific”: while the film does not attempt to provoke discussions about queerness or race, those watching closely may find something resonant in Sorrentino’s love letter to the Naples of his youth.

Digger is a smart film, one that takes what could have been a “seen it before” message and gives it new life.