One of our finest actors was persuaded to return to acting in a movie after he had chosen to retire. Daniel Day-Lewis is back on the big screen, and while his fans are grateful for this decision, he has decided to pause his retirement to star in his son’s first feature debut. Although I had read a brief, spoiler-free synopsis, I went into the film’s screening mostly unaware of what I would experience. I have never previously watched anything Ronan Day-Lewis has worked on, whether it was a short film or as part of a film crew on other directors’ projects.
Therefore, I had no expectations, except that I knew Daniel Day-Lewis and co-star Sean Bean would deliver outstanding performances. In those regards, I was not disappointed. As for the overall film, I was intrigued, compelled, and often captivated. However, some of Ronan Day-Lewis’s artistic choices left me quite bewildered. Anemone is a solid, though flawed, first attempt at a first feature movie. At the very least, he and his casting department made wise choices.
Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Ray Stoker, a British ex-soldier living as a hermit in a very secluded area. His estranged brother, Jem (Sean Bean), surprises him with an unexpected visit. Even though their initial reunion is painfully awkward, they eventually begin catching up and bonding over the old days when they were much closer. Jem is there for a specific purpose, though. While Ray has been living in isolation, Ray’s son, Brian (Samuel Bottomley), and ex, Nessa (Samantha Morton), have managed to live and survive without Ray’s help, under the guidance and assistance of Jem.
Jem has decided to reach out to Ray in an attempt to plead for help with the problems they are having with Brian. What follows is a fascinating character study, but it is also a flawed attempt at a completely coherent film.
I was drawn to the drama that exists between the characters in this film. However, Ronan Day-Lewis inexplicably makes some artistic choices in certain, seemingly fever-dream-like scenes that do not align with the movie as a whole. As a director, Ronan shows lots of promise and proficiency. One could argue that he cheated by casting his father, who has been one of the world’s more respected actors for decades. Still, I see that Ronan is capable of making great work, but this film has some moments that feel blatantly out of place.
Again, it is a no-brainer that the cast in this film is outstanding. Daniel Day-Lewis consistently delivers a phenomenal performance, as do Sean Bean and Samantha Morton. Samuel Bottomley, whom I had never seen before, also impressed me as the troubled “chip off the old block” son, Brian.
There is so much good in this film that it shows Ronan Day-Lewis is a natural talent; however, there is still much work to be done for the young director to develop his storytelling skills and filmmaking decisions further.
Anemone is a mostly unusual and sometimes frustrating movie, but I will give some slack to Ronan, as he obviously was trying very hard to make a big first impression. I recommend this film to fans of Daniel Day-Lewis, Sean Bean, and Samantha Morton, because they are definitely the highlights here. It isn’t a film that needs to be experienced in a theater, so this is a film I would recommend waiting for its availability on a television platform