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The Mother and The Father
The Mother
Anne loved the time in her life when she prepared breakfast each morning for her two young children. Years later, spending hours alone, Anne convinces herself that her husband is having an affair. If only her son were to break-up with his girlfriend. He would return home and come down for breakfast. She would put on her new red dress and they would go out.
The Mother, in this English translation by Christopher Hampton, was commissioned by the Ustinov Studio, Theatre Royal, Bath, and premiered in May 2015. Florian Zeller's The Mother was awarded the Moliere Award for Best Play 2011.
The Father, in this English translation by Christopher Hampton, was commissioned by the Ustinov Studio, Theatre Royal, Bath and premiered in October 2014. The production transferred to the Tricycle Theatre, London, in May 2015. Florian Zeller's The Father was awarded the Moliere Award for Best Play 2014.
186 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 3, 2019
About the author
Florian Zeller
36 books95 followersFlorian Zeller is a French novelist and playwright. His work has been translated into a dozen languages, including English. He won the Prix Interallié in 2004 for his novel "Fascination of Evil" ("La Fascination du Pire").
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 21, 2018
"I feel as if … I feel as if I’m losing all my leaves, one after another."
Cover
Sorrowing Old Man (At Eternity's Gate), an oil painting by Vincent van Gogh that he made in 1890 in Saint-Rémy de Provence based on an early lithograph. The painting was completed in early May at a time when he was convalescing from a severe relapse in his health and some two months before his death, which is generally accepted as a suicide.
The Mother
Can we love too much?
It seems so, according to this play by Florian Zeller. A mother's life that was centered around her family, falls to pieces when her two children leave the house. She suspects her husband of having love affairs because he comes home late in the evenings from meetings and has seminars in the weekends. The son, her 'darling', has a girlfriend who she doesn't like and of whom she's jealous.
She seems to have no other purpose in life, or passions, than to take care of the family.
The play is very bleak, and the repetition of scenes with alternating dialogues intriguingly confusing. The reader becomes an uncomfortable witness of a woman descending into obsession, anguish, emotional instability and manipulation, on the border of madness.
The Father
Can we love too little?
It seems so, according to this play. An old father's life is falling to pieces when he is losing his memory.
His daughter Anne looks after him as much as she can but she also has her work and a boyfriend.
The dialogues in this play are equally confusing, and the reader isn't quite sure what's really going on. This makes for heartbreakingly powerful reading ; the reader painfully experiences the confusion and distress of the father.
Cover
Sorrowing Old Man (At Eternity's Gate), an oil painting by Vincent van Gogh that he made in 1890 in Saint-Rémy de Provence based on an early lithograph. The painting was completed in early May at a time when he was convalescing from a severe relapse in his health and some two months before his death, which is generally accepted as a suicide.
The Mother
Can we love too much?
It seems so, according to this play by Florian Zeller. A mother's life that was centered around her family, falls to pieces when her two children leave the house. She suspects her husband of having love affairs because he comes home late in the evenings from meetings and has seminars in the weekends. The son, her 'darling', has a girlfriend who she doesn't like and of whom she's jealous.
She seems to have no other purpose in life, or passions, than to take care of the family.
The play is very bleak, and the repetition of scenes with alternating dialogues intriguingly confusing. The reader becomes an uncomfortable witness of a woman descending into obsession, anguish, emotional instability and manipulation, on the border of madness.
The Father
Can we love too little?
It seems so, according to this play. An old father's life is falling to pieces when he is losing his memory.
His daughter Anne looks after him as much as she can but she also has her work and a boyfriend.
The dialogues in this play are equally confusing, and the reader isn't quite sure what's really going on. This makes for heartbreakingly powerful reading ; the reader painfully experiences the confusion and distress of the father.
August 23, 2018
Update: re-read following readings of Zeller's latest plays - actually appreciated 'The Mother' a bit more this time; both plays are excellent.
This is actually two full length plays; The Mother I would rate 3 stars, while The Father merits 5 - so that averages out to a 4. Both are vaguely Pinteresque, but with some telltale Zeller touches. The Father (currently on Broadway and nominated for Best Play Tony Award) is a harrowing story of a man sliding inexorably into dementia, while The Mother concerns a woman who cannot adjust to 'empty nest syndrome'.
This is actually two full length plays; The Mother I would rate 3 stars, while The Father merits 5 - so that averages out to a 4. Both are vaguely Pinteresque, but with some telltale Zeller touches. The Father (currently on Broadway and nominated for Best Play Tony Award) is a harrowing story of a man sliding inexorably into dementia, while The Mother concerns a woman who cannot adjust to 'empty nest syndrome'.
January 7, 2022
Zeller has created two plays in which he explores depression (The mother) and dementia (The father) and the influence on the family. I had the privilege to see The mother on stage. The subtle way in which Zeller uses repetition and variation to create the confusing worlds of the two lead characters is masterly and makes for unsettling viewing and reading. The plays are masterly, and their English versions by Christopher Hampton ensures their success in the English language world.
Zeller ondersoek twee ontstellende temas in hierdie twee stukke: die effek van onderskeidelik depressie en demensie op die families. Die subtiele opbou van herhaling en variasie herskep vir die leser en teaterganger die onsekerheid van die twee hoofkarakters en sorg vir 'n baie ontstellende ervaring. Die vertaling lees gemaklik en idiomaties en sorg dat Engelse lesers en teatergangers ook Zeller se deernisvolle dog onthutsende blik op die menslike psige kan beleef.
Zeller ondersoek twee ontstellende temas in hierdie twee stukke: die effek van onderskeidelik depressie en demensie op die families. Die subtiele opbou van herhaling en variasie herskep vir die leser en teaterganger die onsekerheid van die twee hoofkarakters en sorg vir 'n baie ontstellende ervaring. Die vertaling lees gemaklik en idiomaties en sorg dat Engelse lesers en teatergangers ook Zeller se deernisvolle dog onthutsende blik op die menslike psige kan beleef.
April 7, 2019
Two Dark & Tragic Plays
Review of the Faber and Faber 2017 paperback edition.
It would be a spoiler to describe the methods that Florian Zeller uses to portray the experience of dementia in theatrical form in The Father but they are devastatingly effective and anyone who has experienced them in their own family will likely recognize actions and reactions which they have personally lived through.
The Mother with its portrayal of empty-nest derangement syndrome may not share as much of a common experience with the audience and therefore comes across as an extreme farce in comparison.
The English translation by Christopher Hampton reads very well.
Review of the Faber and Faber 2017 paperback edition.
It would be a spoiler to describe the methods that Florian Zeller uses to portray the experience of dementia in theatrical form in The Father but they are devastatingly effective and anyone who has experienced them in their own family will likely recognize actions and reactions which they have personally lived through.
The Mother with its portrayal of empty-nest derangement syndrome may not share as much of a common experience with the audience and therefore comes across as an extreme farce in comparison.
The English translation by Christopher Hampton reads very well.
November 5, 2017
4 to the mother. Like requiem for a dream meets Pinter. Love how Zeller plays with uncertainty.
Saw the father at MCC and absolutely adored it, but haven't read it.
Saw the father at MCC and absolutely adored it, but haven't read it.
Read
January 5, 2026Why these plays? Because I just watched The Father with Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman.
April 8, 2026
Plays can be so hit-or-miss, as reading them obviously removes a large part of their emotional depth, but... wow. These really took me by surprise; if it's any indication, I only had to read The Father for my English class, and I read both it and The Mother in their entirety in the span of an afternoon.
The Father focuses on a man with some sort of degenerative memory loss, and its effect on not only him, but also his daughter, her husband, and the caretaker. Zeller's ability to intertwine scenes, repeat narratives, and confuse the audience just as much as the main character is confused is truly astounding, and it places the reader in his shoes. Despite knowing nothing about their pasts and never really having events explained, Zeller conveys the relations of the characters through vague implications, leaving things up to the imagination (and consequently making them even more hard-hitting).
The Mother, on the other hand, looks into a woman with clear issues following occupying an 'empty nest'. Her distrust of her husband, desire to reconnect with her son (in some off-putting ways), and resentment at both her son's girlfriend and even her daughter are so layered and complex, and all I'll say is once I realized how the two plays were connected... wow. It should've been more obvious if I'd read them the other way around (in the order the novel intended), but it was so interesting weaving the two together into one narrative.
Zeller's talent is so stark in these two plays in both their construction and their language. His writing is simple and easily understandable, but it contains so much beneath the surface, and discusses topics and situations often ignored out of fear or displeasure, despite their importance to all of us. The discomfort you'll incur from reading these (I know I did) is well worth it in the end.
The Father focuses on a man with some sort of degenerative memory loss, and its effect on not only him, but also his daughter, her husband, and the caretaker. Zeller's ability to intertwine scenes, repeat narratives, and confuse the audience just as much as the main character is confused is truly astounding, and it places the reader in his shoes. Despite knowing nothing about their pasts and never really having events explained, Zeller conveys the relations of the characters through vague implications, leaving things up to the imagination (and consequently making them even more hard-hitting).
The Mother, on the other hand, looks into a woman with clear issues following occupying an 'empty nest'. Her distrust of her husband, desire to reconnect with her son (in some off-putting ways), and resentment at both her son's girlfriend and even her daughter are so layered and complex, and all I'll say is once I realized how the two plays were connected... wow. It should've been more obvious if I'd read them the other way around (in the order the novel intended), but it was so interesting weaving the two together into one narrative.
Zeller's talent is so stark in these two plays in both their construction and their language. His writing is simple and easily understandable, but it contains so much beneath the surface, and discusses topics and situations often ignored out of fear or displeasure, despite their importance to all of us. The discomfort you'll incur from reading these (I know I did) is well worth it in the end.
May 31, 2023
Florian Zeller became generally known in the Anglophone world with Christopher Hampton’s translation of The Father, which had successful runs in both England and the United States. The Mother was an earlier play, but translated and produced in English later. The Mother is divided into three Acts, each Act divided into two scenes, the two scenes being variations on each other. This creates a world of uncertainty. If we presume the first scene is ‘true’, the following scene will challenge that truth or give an alternative truth. I don’t know if it was the case with Zeller’s French, but Hampton’s English reminded me of Harold Pinter: it constantly suggested things that were unsaid, adding to the general sense of uncertainty. (But this might be because I think of Pinter as the most important English language playwright of the last seventy years and therefore see his influence everywhere.) The Father has the same sense of uncertainty, but it is naturalistically motivated: the central character had dementia. We seemingly see the word through his eyes: if events don’t make sense, we can understand this as Pierre’s experience of the world. But it is disorientating. By itself, The Father can be seen as a study of dementia and its disorientating impact, the way the world becomes unrecognisable and often hostile. Placing the two plays together, however, they create a world where meaning and understanding becomes uncertain: they become plays about a process of misunderstanding.
September 5, 2021
Florian Zeller’s play “The Mother” breaks down the psychological state of a deeply depressed woman with an empty nest syndrome. Told from an unreliable narrator’s perspective readers get an insight of her mindset, as she is constantly reliving crucial moments in her family’s relations, she longs for her youth and the old days when she had a purpose in her life, that being her kids who had left the family home. Through that reflection, she becomes malicious, threatens with taking her own life, blames others for the separation of the family, while her possessive obsession for her son caused the family’s alienation. 3⭐
Father, a tragic farce that incredibly accurately and sensitively, from an unreliable narrator’s perspective, depicts a sad condition of a man with severe dementia, his everyday struggles and ultimately the realization of his fragility. 4⭐
Father, a tragic farce that incredibly accurately and sensitively, from an unreliable narrator’s perspective, depicts a sad condition of a man with severe dementia, his everyday struggles and ultimately the realization of his fragility. 4⭐
December 4, 2023
Is this a play about dementia ? Or something else that I am not aware of, something hidden between the lines ?. Stories or accounts such as this can be heard everyday day on Radio 4 for the past 10/15 years or so. And real life ones. Do we need yet another one much less a film to tell us about dementia ? There are books by Clarke and Mannix and are far better and more informative and to the point. I cannot say it is a waste of time lest I upset certain communities but they too would be better off reading more focused works and real life stories rather than waste their time on this play.
I have just heard that the film of this book has done the Box Office big time and provided the actors with the usual big bunch of big awards, but for what exactly ? Perhaps it was written with that purpose in mind. That's a secret that Hollywood will never reveal
I have just heard that the film of this book has done the Box Office big time and provided the actors with the usual big bunch of big awards, but for what exactly ? Perhaps it was written with that purpose in mind. That's a secret that Hollywood will never reveal
March 12, 2019
"I feel as if … I feel as if I’m losing all my leaves, one after another."
I have read both plays to prepare for watching "The father" at the Bulgarian National Theatre and have become another fan of Zeller's work. No wonder he has swept theatre scenes and awards with it.
The two plays examine the volatile and often problematic relationships in families. As a mother of sons, the theme of "The mother" should speak more to me, but it was "The father" that really got me by the throat and now I can't wait to see the play live.
Eagerly recommended reading, highest praise.
I have read both plays to prepare for watching "The father" at the Bulgarian National Theatre and have become another fan of Zeller's work. No wonder he has swept theatre scenes and awards with it.
The two plays examine the volatile and often problematic relationships in families. As a mother of sons, the theme of "The mother" should speak more to me, but it was "The father" that really got me by the throat and now I can't wait to see the play live.
Eagerly recommended reading, highest praise.
February 8, 2026
Two plays where the surreal structure and staging perfectly encapsulates the main characters' state of mind - one with depression and empty nest syndrome, the other dementia. I found the last scene of "The Father" especially heartbreaking.
September 12, 2018
One of the best plays I’ve ever read. Zeller understands the power of theatrical conventions as well as Sam Shepard or Caryl Churchill and he makes his experiments with form feel devastatingly human.
April 18, 2019
This book is an intense read. You question the mother’s reality as you go along. They’re both poignant with a mix of dark humor. The subtext as you read is fascinating! It’s written in script form.
December 27, 2019
Heartbreaking stuff covered with simple words.
March 16, 2021
read many of his scripts in a row
May 20, 2021
The Mother 3⭐
The Father 5⭐
The Father 5⭐
August 14, 2021
Absolutely breathtaking and heartbreaking... I have no words left
March 27, 2022
The father is a fluid and dynamic play. Love this narrative from Pierre.
April 29, 2022
"Take a good look at me. I can still manage on my own. Don't you think?"
adapted film:
the father (2020) dir. Florian Zeller.
adapted film:
the father (2020) dir. Florian Zeller.
June 21, 2022
3.5
The mother 4 stars.
The father 3 stars.
The mother 4 stars.
The father 3 stars.
August 9, 2023
Two wonderful plays about dementia and depression. Breathtaking portrait of the decay of parents.
February 18, 2025
I'm sobbing 😭
March 26, 2026
“I feel as if…I feel as if I’m losing all my leaves, one after another.” 😩 The Father absolutely broke me 😭
July 4, 2024
The Father, 5 stars / The Mother, 3.5 stars
August 14, 2016
Two plays about abandonment. THE FATHER is horrifying. It reminds me quite a bit of Philip Dick's novels, because the reader/audience is never quite sure what is reality.
August 17, 2022
And who exactly am I?
That line killed me as much in the play as it did in the film.
That line killed me as much in the play as it did in the film.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2018
these new indicate me a new favourite writer be found
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews