Anemone — NYFF Review
Source: Focus Features
Ronan Day-Lewis’ feature directorial debut, Anemone, is likely to spark accusations of “nepotism” because the film serves as his father Daniel Day-Lewis’ return to acting after retiring in 2017. However, the father-and-son duo also wrote the screenplay together, and their shared passion for this project is evident. Moreover, right from the film’s opening frames, it’s evident that Ronan Day-Lewis exhibits major promise in the director’s chair.
Anemone tells a relatively simple story of two estranged brothers, Ray (Daniel Day-Lewis) and Jem Stoker (Sean Bean), reconnecting. All the while, Ray’s son, Brian (Samuel Bottomley), is struggling under the weight of his father’s abandonment. It’s a premise that echoes Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas, in the sense that it depicts a father who walked out on the mother of his child and put himself in a form of self-imposed exile, while his brother attempts to hold things together. Like Paris, Texas, the film builds toward an emotional and enlightening monologue that reframes the father’s absence.
Source: Focus Features
Nevertheless, Anemone feels more like a mood piece than a straightforward narrative film. Ronan Day-Lewis seems more concerned with crafting a film propelled by impressionistic imagery rather than story. Ben Fordesman’s striking cinematography and Bobby Krlic’s mesmerizing score are two of the film's highlights, working together to create a brooding atmosphere and foreboding ambiance. The film showcases spectacular landscape shots and portrays the wind and weather in an almost metaphorical sense, to the extent that it feels as though nature is a character in its own right. The way Ronan Day-Lewis captures a hailstorm in the film is reminiscent of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia, making it feel as though we’re watching something symbolic that profoundly affects the lives of these characters. The sound design during the storm is also impeccably immersive. Anemone is a slow burn driven by aesthetics and mood.
The film explores the silence, tension, and emotional complexities that can build up between brothers, as well as fathers and sons. It’s a poetic portrait of family, loneliness, and masculinity. The way the film illustrates isolation and brotherhood, with a sense of hostility and a few sporadic bursts of outlandish comedy, is evocative of the friendships depicted in Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin and Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse, embodying the small community backdrop of the former and the surreal, ominous tone of the latter.
Source: Focus Features
At times, it also elicits a similar feeling to Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life for its poetic examination of how a father’s absence affects a son struggling to form his identity. Additionally, it’s somewhat comparable to Tim Burton’s Big Fish in its portrayal of a son who feels as though he never truly got to know his father, as well as its unusual and abstract visuals that almost evoke elements of magical realism. However, despite these affinities, Anemone still feels like something entirely distinct. Ronan Day-Lewis doesn’t seem concerned with making a film that’s a critical or mainstream success. He displays an admirable commitment to his singular artistic vision, and his background as a painter really shines through.
Even if his father weren’t in the film, Anemone would still be an impressive debut for Ronan Day-Lewis, whose gift for visual storytelling allows him to draw out emotion and meaning from moments of silence and solitude. His imagery transforms landscapes, weather, and empty spaces into mirrors of his characters’ inner lives, lending the film a quiet power that lingers long after it ends. It’s the type of assured visual sensibility that suggests an artist with an intriguing and distinctive career ahead.
Anemone is an ambitious endeavor that may leave viewers who prioritize story over style feeling underwhelmed. It’s a mystifying, dark film that feels designed to keep the viewer at a distance. The film alternates between moments of prolonged, haunting silence and some truly captivating, memorable monologues. As a result, the screenplay may not be the most satisfying, despite the powerful performances on display. Nonetheless, Ronan Day-Lewis is an undeniable talent. Anemone is an artistic achievement, rich with symbolism, indelible monologues, an atmospheric use of sound design and score, and stirring visuals.
Anemone had its world premiere at the New York Film Festival on September 28, 2025. It will receive a limited theatrical release in the United States on October 3rd before expanding to more theaters on October 10th.
