The father of the play by French Florian Zeller who took it to the scene in 2012 was an unknown character. He replied by his father without further explanation. It was a success in Paris, he won the Moliere Prize. Then he passed Broadway and the London West End, and add to that award Tony and Oliver, respectively, to Frank Langela and Kenneth Cranham, who played the central character on this side of the Atlantic. It also arrived in Portugal, in late 2016, by João Lourenco and Fira San Baio de Lemos, with the first open stage play being launched and translated by João Berry. Zeller continued to show the award-winning play around the world, until the idea of making his debut with it began to take shape.
It is the story of an old man the moment he begins to show signs of dementia that he does not want or cannot admit. For a moment, it is thought that he may also be the victim of a sinister hoax, because the relationship with his daughter and son-in-law is not the most pleasant, and this father lives attached to the memories, objects, buttons, and idea of independence – “I don’t need anything or anyone” – that has definitely shaped the character of a lifetime. For the new playwright and film director, “O Pai” had a special resonance, but that didn’t stop the Academy from making her work as public as possible, attributing the unexpected Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor to Anthony Hopkins (when he alluded to Oscar posthumously) For Chadwick Bosman’s film Ma Rainey: Mother of the Blues).
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