Script Analysis: “The Father” — Scene-By-Scene Breakdown

Here is my take on this exercise from a previous series of posts — How To Read A Screenplay:

After a first pass, it’s time to crack open the script for a deeper analysis and you can do that by creating a scene-by-scene breakdown. It is precisely what it sounds like: A list of all the scenes in the script accompanied by a brief description of the events that transpire.

For purposes of this exercise, I have a slightly different take on scene. Here I am looking not just for individual scenes per se, but a scene or set of scenes that comprise one event or a continuous piece of action. Admittedly this is subjective and there is no right or wrong, the point is simply to break down the script into a series of parts which you then can use dig into the script’s structure and themes.

The value of this exercise:

• We pare down the story to its most constituent parts: Scenes.
• By doing this, we consciously explore the structure of the narrative.
• A scene-by-scene breakdown creates a foundation for even deeper analysis of the story.

Today: The Father (2020). You may download the script here.

Screenplay by Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller, based on Zeller’s play.

Plot Summary: A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.

The Father
Scene by Scene Breakdown
By Aditya Raute
GoIntoTheStory.com

Note (by Screenwriters):

A note on design:

The majority of the film is to be made in the studio, on a set representing Anthony’s flat. As the film goes on, the appearance of the flat will evolve. This development is indicated in the script by numbers 1 to 5, thus: 1. Anthony’s flat. 2. Anne’s flat. etc. In every case, the space is identical (I haven’t used these extensively in the breakdown). The décor is the only indication that we might be in a different place. The intended aim is to create uncertainty and the impression of being simultaneously in the same location and somewhere different — ultimately, a hospital.

Principal characters:

· ANTHONY is about 80. He lives on his own in London. He was an engineer and has two daughters, ANNE and LUCY.

· ANNE is ANTHONY’s older daughter. She’s a translator, working in London. In the absence of her sister, she looks after her father’s daily needs; she’s extremely attached to him.

· PAUL is a banker who’s worked in London for many years. He lives with ANNE.

· LAURA is a young carer of about 30. She glows with the freshness of youth.

· THE MAN is a stranger when he first appears. Eventually we learn his name is BILL and that he works in a care home.

· THE WOMAN is a stranger when she first appears. Eventually we learn her name is CATHERINE and that she works in a care home.

Scene-By-Scene Breakdown:-

(Most scenes are pretty long as the movie is adapted from a play)

Page 1–9: ANNE exits a tube station and is in a rush. She reaches home calling for ANTHONY. She has come to complain to him about his behaviour with his caretaker Angela. He had used expletives and even threatened to hurt Angela physically. Anthony denies the latter, but rather states that he thinks she was a thief and has stolen his watch. He says he had laid a trap for her and the watch is now gone. Anne suggests he look into his secret compartment in the bathroom. Anthony is appalled to know that Anne knows about the compartment.

Anthony grabs the watch from the compartment and sits back down in his room like nothing happened. Anne loiters around her sister LUCY’s painting in the hallway before going in his room. She asks him if he has taken his medication, and tells him that she has met a man and is moving to Paris. She is surprised to know Anthony doesn’t remember this. She tells him that he has to find a way to adjust with the caretaker, else she will have to…

Anthony craves for the continuation, but Anne offers none.

Page 10–23: Anthony is listening to radio as he is preparing his tea. He hears a sound of someone coming into the house. He calls out Anne, but no response. Feared, he grabs a fork and walks out of the kitchen.

In a room, THE MAN is sitting, using his phone. Anthony enquires what the man is doing in his flat. The man introduces himself as Paul and is surprised Anthony doesn’t recognize him. When the man feels Anthony is not alright, he calls up Anne to call her home. He tells Anthony that he is her husband, for ten years and that this house is his.

Anthony enquires him about the man Anne was meeting in Paris. “Weren’t you separated?” he asks. The man is amused. Anthony complains to him about Anne making him live with a caretaker. He feels he does not need anyone, and is capable of taking care of himself. He suspects she wants him to move to an old age home. But Anthony firmly declares that he is not going to leave his flat. The man declares that this is indeed his and Anne’s flat and Anthony is here only till they find a new caretaker. Anthony is lost at this.

The doorbell rings and THE WOMAN walks in. She calls Anthony as ‘Dad’ but Anthony knows this isn’t Anne. She tries to tell him that she had gone to buy some chicken. Anthony doesn’t recognize her but tries to conceal it. The man takes the chicken into the kitchen as the woman talks to Anthony. She says that her husband told her Anthony wasn’t feeling very well.

Anthony says he is fine and tries to dictate his ordeal. He mentions that he came out of the room and saw her husband… Anne interrupts him. “What husband?” she asks. She tells Anthony that she has been divorced for five years. Anthony keeps telling her that it’s the guy she handed her chicken to. But Anne insists that there is neither any husband, nor any chicken in the house.

Anthony runs to the kitchen and searches, but there is no sign of either. Anne asks him if he is okay. He says it’s being happening since quite some time and it is driving him crazy. He tells her that he saw this rude man tell him that it was his flat. He enquires Anne “This is my flat, isn’t it?” He keeps demanding an answer, but only gets medication and a smile in return. Anthony is like a lost child.

Page 23–34: Anne is talking on the phone, telling the interlocutor that Anthony couldn’t recognize her last night. She is expecting someone. Anthony, as he is solving a crossword puzzle, suddenly gets the feeling that he is not in his own house.

The door opens. It’s Laura, the new caretaker. Anne tells her that Anthony is a bit upset with the idea of a caretaker, but because she has to leave, this is the only option. “He has his ways,” she adds in. Anthony comes in and is cheerful on meeting Laura. He offers her a drink and carries himself quite flirtatiously. Suddenly, he notices he isn’t wearing a watch and goes to his room to fetch it. Anthony asks Anne to bring them two whiskies and complains to Laura that Anne never drinks alcohol, just like her mother.

He mentions that his younger daughter, LUCY, is not quite like the other two women in his family. “She was always my favourite,” he tells Laura. Anne feels hurt at this expression. He shows Laura one of Lucy’s paintings that is hanging on the wall.

In a whim, Anthony tells Laura that he was a dancer in his youth, and even tries to perform an amusing tap-dance. Laura is in a fit of laughter. Anthony mentions to Anne that Laura looks just like Lucy, and even her habit of laughing uncontrollably. Everyone stays silent, before Anthony interjects, “I had you there, didn’t I?”

Suddenly, his expressions change. Anthony, very seriously, goes off about how he had bought this flat thirty years ago, and his daughter Anne, under the influence of a man she met, is trying to send him away and get hold of her flat. Anne is repulsed and keeps apologizing to Laura for this scene. Anthony, in a fit, states that he is not going to leave his flat at all and storms inside his room. He has no idea that he is living in his daughter’s house.

Anne is very apologetic to Laura. They share an awkward moment with Laura offering her half-hearted assurance that everything will be fine.

Page 34–35: Anne is drinking tea in the kitchen late at night. While washing the cup, she drops it on the floor. Trying to pick up the cup, Anne breaks inside and starts sobbing before she pulls herself together and cleans the floor.

She switches of the lights in the rooms as she walks down the hallway. She enters Anthony’s room and sits beside his sleeping body. She caresses his face, but her hand slowly moves down to his throat. Her emotions overcome her, and she strangles her father as we watch her back.

Page 35–44: PAUL asks her a question. Anne was daydreaming. She is in the dining room laying the table. Paul asks her about how it went with the caretaker. Anne states that Laura is coming tomorrow and she is hopeful that things will go well. She narrates the tap-dancing to him and tells him that Anthony thinks she looks like Lucy. When Paul asks whether she is pretty, Anne reacts repulsed.

She burns herself as she is checking the oven. Paul wonders what’s the matter with her. Anne says that she felt uneasy when Anthony didn’t recognize her earlier. He hugs and assures her.

Anthony appears in the kitchen; he hasn’t recognized Paul. Paul goes into the living room. Anthony hides his confusion from Anne. He goes to the living room where Paul is sitting in a chair, reading the newspaper and sipping wine. He inquires Anthony about his day. Anthony mentions that he can’t find his watch. Anne asks him to check in his hiding-place, at which he is startled. He pulls her aside and asks her to be more discrete. Anne goes on to search for his watch as Anthony goes back to the living room.

He asks Paul the time, and presses questions about the watch he is wearing. Paul is irritated and tells him that Anne is trying hard for the arrangement between him and Laura to work well. Anne comes back with the watch and checks on the chicken in the kitchen. From the window, she observes a couple in the opposite building laughing heartedly. She sighs.

Anthony has resumed his conversation with Paul. He tells him that he never really got on with Anne but he got on very well with Lucy, her sister. She was a painter, he tells Paul, but hasn’t met him in a long time. Paul knows this speech by heart and goes into the dining room to grab another glass to drink. Anthony is on about how she used to call him ‘little daddy’, and they would hug tight for hours, etc.

Paul is leaning on the wall. He wants to ask Anthony a question. He proceeds threateningly, and requests him to give him an honest answer — ‘nothing fancy’. Anthony is perplexed, but agrees. Paul very gravely asks,

“How much longer do you intend to hang around getting on everybody’s tits?”

Page 44–46: Anne and Anthony are riding an elevator. He notices that Anne has changed her hairstyle a bit. She denies. They get out on a landing that Anthony thinks is his flat, but it’s actually the entrance to the doctor’s office.

The doctor asks some childish questions to Anthony, which he answers well. Anthony mentions that his daughter is moving to Paris with a man. Anne is surprised stating why he keeps bringing up Paris, and that she is staying in London. Anthony is surprised but happy.

As he is sitting on some chairs in the hallway, he notices that Anne slips a card inside her pocket that the doctor gave her. He is worried.

In the taxi, as Anne tries to hold his hand, Anthony flicks it away and turns towards the window of the moving taxi.

Page 47: Anne is ironing Anthony’s shirt. She takes the laundry basket to his room, and stares at his old clothes in the memory of what a person he was. She oddly sits beside his sleeping body on the bed. On the bedside table is an old photograph of Anthony with his two young daughters.

Page 47–56: Anne is in a supermarket buying chicken when she receives a call. She says she will be home soon. As she reaches, Paul enters the living room, telling her that her father might want to see her. In Anthony’s bedroom, she sees him struggling to put on a sweater. Doesn’t go first, but then tries to help him. As she leaves, Anthony thanks her ‘for everything’. She smiles.

Anne is preparing the chicken in the kitchen. Anthony shuts the book he was reading, as it’s time for dinner and goes towards the dining room. In the corridor, he can hear Paul and Anne arguing, and slows down to listen.

Paul is telling Anne that they need to find a new arrangement, like a nursing home. Anne points out that the caretaker is starting from the next day and she is hopeful about her. Paul agrees but says that he is ill, and sooner or later, he’ll need better medical help.

They both suddenly realize that Anthony is listening and stop talking. Anne asks him to sit on the table as she goes to fetch the chicken. Paul enquires about Laura to Anthony, saying that Anne is trying hard for the arrangement to go well. Anthony is liking the chicken very much. Paul asks Anne what time will the caretaker be here. She says that Laura will be here till six, after which she herself will be taking care of him.

Paul asks Anthony in a criticizing way, ‘are you satisfied?’ He explains that he is lucky that Anthony has a daughter who cares so much for him. Anthony says that Paul is lucky too, upon which Paul menacingly retorts, “am I?”

Anne is angered at this conversation and takes the chicken back to the kitchen. Anthony asks Paul what is wrong with her, and mentions that the couple should go on a vacation sometime. Paul is amused and says that he feels Anthony is doing these things on purpose. Anthony doesn’t understand.

Paul explains that they had planned a trip to Italy but had to cancel it out because of Anthony’s row with his previous caretaker. They had to cancel their vacation and bring Anthony here, at their home. Anne returns and tells Paul that he is being a bit sarcastic, to which he replies “I’m being very patient”. He says that anybody else would have pressurized her to make a different arrangement.

Anthony wonders where the chicken. He goes back into the kitchen to bring it. Once in the kitchen, he is unsure what he came there for, and returns back to the dining room. He can hear the couple talking about how Paul wants a different arrangement like a nursing home, and Anne is hopeful of the new caretaker. He is hearing the same conversation once again. He looks lost as Anne and Paul spot him listening. Anne gestures him to the table, but Anthony is too terrified and starts to his bedroom. Anne and Paul look at each other, embarrassed.

Page 56: Anne sits on the edge of Anthony’s bed. She strokes his cheek tenderly. It’s like the strangling scene. But this time, she gets up and leaves the room.

Page 57: Anne is sitting in her office. With a heavy mind, she dials a number for the Doctor’s office.

Page 57–69: The flat is looking fairly empty. Lucy’s painting is not on the wall anymore. There are suitcases being packed.

Anthony stares out the bedroom window. A child is playing outside with a plastic bag. Anthony watches with amusement before his expressions turn grave.

He walks in the corridor and enquires Anne about where Lucy’s painting has gone. She answers from the kitchen that he is confusing this place with his flat. When Anthony tries to show her a small dot in the place where the painting hung, Laura emerges from the kitchen, trying to offer him coffee. He is surprised to see her and asks where Anne is. She replies that Anne has gone out and will be back at the end of the day. Until then she has to take care of his medications.

Laura tries to give him his pills and talks in a way she would talk to a child. Anthony is annoyed with this and reprimands her rudely. He tells her that this place feels different and that Anne has probably changed the furniture of his house. He once again tells Laura that it is amazing how similar she looks to Lucy. “Not Anne, my other daughter. The one I love.” He says. Laura says that Anne told her what had happened with her, and that she was sorry for his loss.

Anthony doesn’t follow with what she is saying. He has clearly forgotten that Lucy had an accident. Laura tries to change the subject asking him to wear his dress, once again in that annoying way. He once again tells her not to speak to him like that, and that he is a very intelligent person.

He then drinks his glass of water without his medications. When pointed out, he tells Laura it’s not a worrying matter and that he can swallow the pills with coffee too, and goes on to perform it. He tells her that he used to work in a circus before and was very talented. Laura asks him to get dressed for a trip to the park before showing his magic trick. He childishly tries to deny.

Suddenly, THE MAN appears in the living room. After some inquiring, he says that he wants to have a word with Anthony. Laura excuses herself, but Anthony is unwilling to let her go. She reassures him that she is right in the next room.

The man wants to ask Anthony a question. He proceeds threateningly, and requests him to give him an honest answer — ‘nothing fancy’. Anthony is perplexed, but agrees. The man very gravely asks,

“How much longer do you intend to hang around getting on everybody’s tits?”

Anthony is confused. The man sarcastically asks him how much more does he intend to ruin his daughter’s life, and whether he will act reasonable in the future. Upon some confused comments from Anthony, the man gives him a little slap. Anthony protests saying he cannot allow this. He threatens to take the man physically. The man gives him another little slap. Anthony demands him to stop this at once. With a menacing smile, The man gives him a third little slap. Anthony has covered his face and is in a humiliating defensive position while the man continues to smile at him.

Anne is in the kitchen, smoking a cigarette and looking out the window at a couple. She hears Anthony screaming her name. She goes to him and consoles him while he is still in that defensive position. In the room is now Paul instead of The Man. Anne asks Anthony what the matter is; upon receiving no answer she turns to Paul who says he doesn’t know.

Anne enquires if Anthony is worried about his watch. Then asks if he would like to have dinner as chicken is ready. Anthony thinks it’s still morning as he is in his pyjamas. She tries to console him, calling him ‘Little Daddy’. Then she shoots a look at Paul.

Page 69–70: Anne is brushing her teeth in the bathroom while Paul is waiting for her in the bedroom. She stops, looking unhappy. She steps into the bedroom. Paul is already asleep. She sits on the bed.

Page 70–71: At midnight, Anthony hears someone calling him ‘Dad’. He calls on Anne, but the voice denies, saying it’s Lucy. He puts on a dressing gown and leaves the room. He hears noise from a cupboard in the dark room. But as he opens it, he finds another door, and another, until he is in a hospital corridor.

He looks around. The voice is still calling him as he follows it. Through a half-open door, he sees a young woman stretched out on a bed. It’s LUCY. She calls his name one last time.

Page 71–76 : Anthony washes his face. He remembers his dream and opens the cupboard but there’s nothing in it. Anne notices he is up. As he walks in the kitchen, his coffee is ready. She also serves him breakfast and tells him that they are expecting a visitor. He knows and says he dreamt about Laura the previous night, and that she did remind him of Lucy. Anne is really hopeful that all works out well. He tells her that he really like Laura. She asks him if he wants to get dressed. They are in a positive mood. Anne tells him that Laura really enjoyed meeting him yesterday, and that he told her he could tap dance. Anthony is surprised at this.

The bell rings. Anthony asks if that’s her. Anne thinks it is. He wants to get dressed first. He is really hesitant to let her see him in such a state. Anne opens the door nevertheless. Anne steps into the kitchen, not with Laura, but THE WOMAN. Anthony is puzzled. He tells Anne that this is not her, not the one he liked. Anne wants him to say hi to Laura, but Anthony cannot make sense of this. He panics and storms into his bedroom.

Page 76–79 : He is in a different bedroom. Anne knocks the door. She is wearing a coat. Behind her is the WOMAN. Anne is trying to remind him of the time he moved in with her, after her quarrel with Angela. But she is getting too emotional. She asks him if he likes this room.

The Woman says that the room looks out to a park. Anne says it’s like being in a hotel. The woman confirms saying “that’s what all the residents say.” An emotional Anne tells him that she thinks he will be better off here. Anthony clearly doesn’t comprehend the situation. He asks where will she go, in which room. Anne tells him that she is going to Paris. Anthony wonders if she is sure. He has tears in his eyes. She promises to visit him on occasional weekends.

He asks what will happen to him. Anne tells him he is going to live here. Anthony asks her about her sister. He tells her that he misses Lucy a lot. Anne is visibly moved; she says she misses her too. Suddenly, Anthony assumes the role of the father and strokes Anne’s cheek trying to console her. Anne presses his hand to her face.

Page 79: Anne walks out of the hospital. She hails a taxi and takes one last look at the hospital. She is fighting back tears.

Page 79–87: Anthony wakes up from his sleep. He is in the hospital room. He calls Anne and opens the door, but THE WOMAN, from his nightmare is standing forth wearing a white coat. Anthony shuts the door and goes back in. The Woman follows.

Anthony keeps asking her what he is doing here and where Anne is. The Woman is used to this and calmly tells him to have his medications. She tells him she is a nurse. He asks her what she is doing here. She says she is looking after him upon which Anthony is shocked. “Since when?” he asks. The woman replies that it’s been a few weeks. Anthony tells her that he thought they were getting a new nurse, the one that looked like Lucy.

The woman once again reminds him of the medications, she is impatient. Anthony agrees to take his meds, but asks her where Anne is. The woman replies that his daughter has been living in Paris for several months. She shows him a postcard that Anne had send yesterday. She reminds her that they had read it last night.

The woman reminds him that Anne lives with Paul and comes to see him sometimes. When she does, they go for a walk in the park. She had brought him tea the other day. Anthony says he detests tea and only drinks coffee.

THE MAN walks in the room, dressed in all-white. Anthony is frightened. He asks Anthony if everything is alright, but Anthony is silent. He gives The Woman a document to sign and then leaves.

Anthony asks The woman who he was. She tells him it was Bill. Anthony is unsure what Bill was doing here. She tells him that he sees Bill every day. Apologetically, he asks her who she is. The Woman says she is Catherine. Anthony proceeds to ask her his own name to which she says he is Anthony.

He says he likes his name, and that his mother gave it to him. He tells her that his mother had big eyes and that he can see her face now. He asks Catherine whether his mother was going to come to see him on weekends. Catherine wonders if he is asking about his daughter.

Anthony is crushed by sudden grief. Like a child, he sobs saying ‘I want my mummy.’ He wants to go back home. The Woman is surprised. She tries to console him. He tells her that he feels like he is losing all his leaves one by one. He is tired of not being able to make sense of all the missing things.

The woman tells him that they will first get dressed and go to the park and look at all the trees and come back for lunch. And after his siesta, they might go again for a walk. She asks him if he should get dressed? He clings to her saying no. She tries to console him like a child. He buries himself in her arms as she rocks him gently.

Outside the window, we see the park. The wind blows through the trees, rustling the leaves.

THE END

Writing Exercise: I encourage you to read the script, but short of that, if you’ve seen the movie, go through this scene-by-scene breakdown. What stands out to you about it from a structural standpoint?

To download a PDF of the breakdown for The Father, go here.

Kudos to Aditya Raute for doing the scene-by-scene breakdown.

To see dozens more screenplay scene-by-scene breakdowns, go here.