LOS ANGELES — Polish filmmaker Jan Komasa’s new film “Anniversary” explores how the closest of families can be torn apart when inexorable social change disrupts their world and drives a wedge between them, exposing their frailties and destroying the fabric of their relationship.
The idea for “Anniversary” came to Komasa in 2018, but the film explores a political movement called “The Change,” an authoritarian single-party system of government that has the backing of a faceless corporation called the Cumberland Company.
“There are no real politics in the film that we know of,” he told Spectrum News. “We worked with Lynn Vavreck, a professor from UCLA, to come up with this new movement we called ‘The Change.’ Isn’t every new political movement ‘the change’ of sorts?”
Why omit any political parties from the film? Komasa said because in a month or two the film would have been obsolete. “Anniversary” is general enough, so it fits every time viewers watch the film because of the danger and risks an authoritarian government poses.
Dylan O’Brien and film director Jan Komasa for “Anniversary.” (Lionsgate/Owen Behan)
The film occurs over the course of five years, and it shows the progression of lives and relationships within the Taylor family — a seemingly perfect American family celebrating milestones — and how “The Change” destroys their relationships.
Komasa said he wanted to give viewers the experience of witnessing a family dynamic that felt authentic. And while “The Change” represents an authoritarian system of government, Komasa and Emmy nominated Madeline Brewer (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) said at the heart of the film is the family.
“I am very close to my family. The thought of a snake in the nest coming in to fracture our love and loyalty to each other … I think that will resonate with people who have strong familial bonds,” Brewer told Spectrum News. “How deep is our loyalty? I think there is a playbook of authoritarianism, and it’s very predictable. We know what they want. There is a lot of divide and conquer, and they conquer when they pull us apart.”
Madeline Brewer as Anna in “Anniversary.” (Lionsgate/Owen Behan)
“Anniversary” opens in theaters this weekend. The film stars Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler, Madeline Brewer, Zoey Deutch, Phoebe Dynevor, Mckenna Grace, Daryl McCormack and Dylan O’Brien.
Click the video above to watch the full interview with Jan Komasa and Madeline Brewer.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source spectrumnews1.com ’
