Anemone – British Film Festival Review
Marking his return to cinema screens after an 8-year absence post his award-nominated performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread, Daniel Day-Lewis stars in, and has co-written, Anemone – a psychological drama film co-written and directed by his son, Ronan Day-Lewis.
Daniel Day-Lewis plays Ray, a retired veteran who served during The Troubles and a recluse who lives in the forests of Northern Island. His estranged brother, Jem (Sean Bean), departs from his wife (Samantha Morton) and son (Samuel Bottomley), to find the isolated Ray in the hopes to reconnect with him and bring him back home. However, as tense conversations and confrontations arise between the two brothers, demons and traumas from their past begin to arise.
A dialogue (and monologue) heavy narrative created by the Day-Lewis father-son duo, Anemone is a tense, dramatic vehicle to allow Daniel Day-Lewis and Sean Bean to explore the toxicity and fragility of masculinity in the face of immense traumas, both generationally and the ones brought on by the war they fought. There are many extended scenes where each actor gruffly and verbally violently state their grievances with each other, the world, and their emotions that are riveting to watch, but at their core lack a lot of genuine substance, leading to an overall experience that feels more stylish and performative than emotionally impactful.
Daniel Day-Lewis hasn’t missed a beat returning to the artform that has lauded him many times in the past for her passion and dedication to characters and performance, and it is impossible to deny that he has an electricity on screen in both the nuanced and louder moments. But, it’s Sean Bean who truly impresses and reminds us that he is also an incredible performer with the intensity and gravitas to go toe-to-toe with Day-Lewis throughout the entire film.
For his directorial debut, Ronan Day-Lewis showcases a stunning visual style that captures the beauty and haunt, the claustrophobia and vastness of the Irish forestland. The sharp cinematography of Ben Fordesman (Saint Maud) along with Ronan’s very particular selection of shots create a visual-scape that is very engaging and cinematic. His direction also showcases a patience as a filmmaker to let moments breathe and performances to linger. There are definitely times where that patience could have been reigned in, as the pacing of the film is incredibly slow, but it’s refreshing to see a young director pivot away from some more dynamic work that can be seen from upcoming filmmakers, and find a style that serves the narrative.
However, it is the narrative of Anemone that is perhaps the weakest element overall. Despite the idea of masculine, gruff men trying to fight their trauma’s against their preconceived judgements about emotion and connection being something that cinema has explored quite interestingly over the years, Anemone attempts to inject some unique, heightened elements to distinguish it from other films like it. However, these attempts feel a little too abstract when they begin to appear in the second half of the film, especially compared to the far more grounded tone of the first half. The drama and emotion never really dives past surface level either, with each reveal and conversation touching on trauma in a way that doesn’t feel earnest enough for complete emotional investment.
Despite the intoxicating visuals and outstanding lead performances from Day-Lewis and Bean, Anemone falls incredibly flat as a surface level exploration of male trauma and the broken bonds of brotherhood in a plodding, boring way.
Anemone played at the 2025 British Film Festival, and is in Australian cinemas January 22
