Ronan Day-Lewis directs “Anemone,” his feature debut from a script he co- wrote with his father, Daniel Day-Lewis. The family drama about brothers, fathers and sons is good, but the script may leave the audience with questions about the characters and their choices at this point in their lives. It is a film that can cause viewers to come together after the credits roll to discuss their perspectives and ideas about the film. There are some interesting topics to discuss and questions about the filmmaker’s choices.
Ray (Daniel Day-Lewis) and Jem (Sean Bean) portray two characters who are brothers that have been long-estranged. Ray left the family in town years ago after the difficult times in Ireland that included many conflicts and violence. This is known as “the Troubles” that lasted for a period of 30 years. Among those Ray left behind is a former love, Nessa (Samantha Morton) and a son, Brian (Samuel Bottomley). Jem adopted him after Ray’s departure but decides to find Ray after almost two decades (or so) to help Brian. The relationship between Ray and Brian is nonexistent. The excellent performances allow the viewer to see the range of emotions between the brothers, the silence and/or an excess of conversation (prepare for a few monologues). As we have seen in previous work by Daniel Day-Lewis, he can do frightening scenes very well, even with just his gaze.
Ronan Day-Lewis and cinematographer Ben Fordesman’s work provides the viewers with some lovely landscape scenes of Ireland, as well as some heavy-duty storms that appear to be able to take some roofs off a home. I haven’t been to that country to know how severe the weather can be, but while Texas has extreme heat, I can’t speak to how realistic that storm scene is that would have broken every window in sight. Captivating, but real?
I do recommend the film to watch Daniel Day – Lewis back on the big screen.
Executive Producers: Daniel Day-Lewis, Brad Pitt
This film premiered at the New York Film Festival and now opens in theaters on October 3, 2025.
Source: Focus Features
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