The big news going into “Anemone” was that it would be the first film the supposedly retired Daniel Day-Lewis, the greatest actor of his generation, has made since 2017.
The big news coming out of “Anemone” is that it is the first film the supposedly retired Daniel Day-Lewis, the greatest actor of his generation, has made since 2017.
Beyond that? The film is a disappointment. Perhaps anything less than a classic would be, given Day-Lewis’ huge presence. But there’s just not a lot here.
To say that Day-Lewis is the best thing about a movie is hardly unique or surprising. He is almost mythically good at this, at making you forget the man and see the character. For instance, you don’t exactly believe that he’s Abraham Lincoln in “Lincoln” (a performance that garnered one of his three Oscars). But you don’t exactly not believe it, either. His immersion there, and here, is complete. It’s just that in “Anemone” it’s in service to … not much.
What is ‘Anemone’ about?
Day-Lewis co-wrote the film with his son, the artist Ronan Day-Lewis, who also directs. Visually, it is beautiful, at times stunning. Ronan Day-Lewis’ eye and cinematographer Ben Fordesman’s camera are a powerful combination.
Narratively, however, it ain’t much.
Ray (Day-Lewis) lives in a tiny cabin, more of a hutch, in the middle of nowhere in Northern England. A veteran of the Troubles, he abandoned his pregnant wife years ago, and now lives the most monastic life imaginable, if a monastic life included occasionally boozing it up. He is a self-made recluse. Whether he’s happy about this or not is impossible to discern, but the intensity in his face reads like barely contained rage.
His brother Jem (Sean Bean) sets out to pay him a visit, which involves a motorbike trip into the woods and the use of coordinates, so off the grid is Ray. There’s some urgency to the trip. Jem is now with Nessa (Samantha Morton); the two have raised Brian (Saumel Bottomley) as their own child. But Brian is well aware of who his father is. He’s been mocked and bullied because of the atrocities Ray is said to have committed during the Troubles.
Now the teenage Brian has become his own simmering cauldron of rage and frustration. The bloody scabs on his knuckles suggest that he no longer suffers the bullying and teasing silently. Jem and Nessa are understandably worried, and think that Ray might be able to return home and help.
Easier said than done. Ray has lots of reasons for living alone, all but erased from society. Those reasons will spill out over time — certainly the silent Jem won’t interrupt. And it is clear that he is out of practice when it comes to simply being around other people. But he warms to it. Ray tells a graphic story about his revenge on a priest who abused him. It’s enthralling and gross and he tells it with a dark humor. And at the end of the story he wonders aloud, did it really happen?
Every time Daniel Day-Lewis speaks, you’re transfixed
That’s not unlike the experience of watching the film. Every time Day-Lewis opens his mouth, you’re transfixed, hanging on his every word, his every movement. Increasingly, he opens his mouth a lot, explaining over time exactly what led to his estrangement from the world. (Similarly, the all-but-wasted Morton gets a showy expository monologue, but only one.)
There are occasional diversions into either the supernatural or the dream state or just Ray’s haunted imagination, but they’re so isolated they seem disconnected from the story. Perhaps they serve a greater purpose. If they do, it’s lost on me. They look cool, though.
So it goes with “Anemone,” which is as old-fashioned a film as it gets, yet would benefit from YouTube and TikTok renditions of individual scenes. It’s the whole that’s lacking. It’s sort of like a two-hour acting class from Day-Lewis. Intriguing, sure, but that’s not what you’re paying for.
‘A House of Dynamite’ review: It’s an excellent, nerve-wracking film
‘Anemone’ 2.5 stars
Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★
Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★
Director: Ronan Day-Lewis.
Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sean Bean, Samantha Morton.
Rating: R for language throughout.
How to watch: In theaters.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ‘Anemone’ isn’t much, despite the efforts of an all-time great
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