The Golden Bin Awards: Best Picture

April 23, 2021 0 By Jeff Bulmer

Time is a fickle thing…

In this series based on the Oscars Deathrace series of articles I wrote for The Phoenix News over the last few years, I spotlight my personal picks for this year’s Oscars, as well as some notable snubs.

Winner: The Father

Based on his 2012 play of the same name, Florian Zimmer’s debut film The Father, is an enlightening but terrifying portrayal of the later stages of memory loss.

The Father features Anthony Hopkins as Anthony, an aging man living with his daughter Anne (Olivia Colman). As Anthony’s memory loss progresses, leaving the old man more frequently disoriented, Anne struggles to decide how to ensure that he’s cared for when she no longer can.

To portray memory loss accurately, the movie is disorientingly told from Anthony’s point of view. While the entire film takes place in one apartment, it’s never clear whose apartment, and the layout is ever-changing. On occasion, the actor for one character will simply be replaced by another between scenes. Scenes also seem to happen out of order, and by the end of the film, the true order of events remains unclear.

The Father also features one of 2020’s best performances in Hopkins, whose chemistry with Colman and the supporting cast is rivaled only by the authority he commands in every scene. Hopkins goes from childlike whimsy to brutally hurtful aggression on a dime. His character’s condition demands the cast respond to him, rather than the other way around, and Hopkins pulls this off without diminishing his own or any other performance. At the same time, his character is vulnerable, completely unable to live in the present, confused at his own timeline. Hopkins made a point during production to expose himself to as little as possible, resulting in fully authentic confusion when the set changes or an unexpected actor is introduced.

The Father’s greatest strength is the confusing nature of its screenplay, enabling the audience to get closer to the film’s main character than most other movies. However, when working as intended, it forces viewers to keep track of or constantly re-evaluate characters, sets, and even music. Though at times it can be frustrating to watch, The Father is a truly unique viewing experience.

Runner-Up: Palm Springs

Stuck in a failing relationship, Niles (Andy Samberg) goes to Palm Springs with his girlfriend Misty (Meredith Hagner) for his future sister-in-law’s wedding. Surrounded by Misty’s family, Niles mostly lounges in the pool, day drinks, and generally makes a fool of himself in front of the rest of the wedding party. But at the reception, when Misty bombs giving her wedding toast, Niles takes over and delivers a heartfelt, poetic wedding toast that leaves everyone breathless.

Niles secret is that he’s done this before: he’s stuck in a time-loop and has relived the wedding day more times than he can count. By the time the movie begins, Niles has already tried the Groundhog Day method of being a better person, with no success. He’s memorized everything that happens, killed himself in every way possible, had sex with every guest he was curious about. When Palm Springs starts, Niles has already exhausted every possibility available to him on November 9^th.

When Misty’s sister Sarah (Cristin Miloti) also ends up in the time loop, the two team up to find a way to either escape the day, or at least make it more interesting.

Palm Springs spin on the time-loop movie is that it starts from the middle. But since any character left to repeat the same day forever eventually becomes numb and emotionless, Sarah serves as an audience surrogate, giving Palm Springs two relatable, but distinct characters. Niles is a man who’s literally and figuratively gone through the same motions his entire life, while Sarah is a woman determined to do whatever it takes to change her situation.

Although Palm Springs premiered on streaming platforms, it feels like the kind of summer comedy that fills up in-between major blockbuster releases. There are plenty of smaller, visual gags, and set-pieces that emphasize a beach party vibe. The supporting cast is made up mostly of small-time comedians who play off each other well and are clearly having fun. Finally, Palm Springs is basically a romantic comedy, and never gets much darker or heavier than that implies.

In a year with an abundance of heavy, emotional movies, Palm Springs is a breath of fresh air. It’s light, funny, but also well-written and original enough to make more of an impact than standard-issue comedic fare.
Palm Springs is the seventh movie produced by Samberg’s comedy group The Lonely Island, and it’s definitely the one with the most passion behind it.