America has fallen into fascism. Families are split apart by post-democratic sensibilities that are handwaved away as ‘political differences.’ People are being abducted in the streets. Loyalty, not integrity, is the currency of the realm. America ain’t what it used to be.
Also, there’s a movie called Anniversary.
Joking aside, this is absolutely the right movie at the right time. Anniversary offers a unique structure that chronicles the downfall of America in five acts, each set during a family gathering over the course of five years, beginning with the 25th wedding anniversary of Ellen and Paul (Diane Lane and Kyle Chandler) and ending five years later, at their 30th. A lot can change in five years, and Anniversary chronicles their family while an ambiguously defined (but alt-right coded) political revolution turns America into a post-democratic dystopian hellscape ruled by an all-powerful mega-corporation.
I won’t spoil the plot and its various twists and developments, but it’s clear that the film is inspired by real-life political turmoil of recent years. At its best, it even feels like what would happen if Norman Lear and Sydney Pollack made a movie together.
Ellen and Paul have three daughters, Cynthia, Anna, and Birdie and one son, Josh, played by Zoey Deutch, Madeline Brewer, McKenna Grace, and Dylan O’Brien, respectively. The core cast also includes their spouses or, in the case of Grace’s character, close friend. Ostensibly, the film follows the family as their dynamic is upturned by the political change, called “The Change” in-universe. However, this particular family is much closer to the conflict than the average household, since Josh’s girlfriend and eventual wife, Liz (Phoebe Dynevor), also a former student of Josh’s mother, is the person who wrote the book, “The Change,” that helped inspire the political revolution that dominates the film.
The script, written by Lori Rosene-Gambino from a story by director Jan Komasa, has the unenviable task of chronicling an entire revolution in just five scenes, all while exploring the changing dynamic between nine or so key characters. Maybe it would have been ‘easier’ to have the main family completely separate from the political evolution of its setting, but the final result is sprawling and a bit messy, but still manages to succeed for the most part. Anniversary starts out as a traditional soapy family drama with clever writing and even some funny family dynamics. However, it quickly evolves into something else, showing a family trying to pretend that they’re still normal in a country that’s rapidly descending into something that’s decidedly not normal.
Basically everyone gets at least one shining moment where they get to act their hearts out. In the case of Kyle Chandler, it’s a show-stopping moment that brought tears to my eyes. Dylan O’Brien also gets tremendous opportunities to evolve over the course of the film. There’s one scene in particular with Chandler and O’Brien together that is easily the highlight of the whole movie. For Daryl McCormack, however, his big dramatic moment just doesn’t carry the gravitas the film is aiming for. He’s a bit too underwritten for his moment to feel properly earned, and he can’t help but drag the film down a bit in the few moments that give him the main focus.
As for the ladies, they overall fare even better. Diane Lane and Phoebe Dynevor are downright electric with their seething animosity towards each other, and McKenna Grace makes tremendous use of her limited screentime to represent the younger generation being pulled apart by differing ideologies and at constant risk of radicalization. Madeline Brewer gets to have a lot of fun as the rebellious daughter, a successful stand-up comedian who refuses to conform to the new normal brought about by “The Change.” Zoey Deutch sadly gets the short end of the stick, and she doesn’t really have much to do throughout the story. Interestingly, she’s paired with the aforementioned Daryl McCormack, whom I felt was the weak link among the male cast members, so make of that what you will. Maybe their characters were late additions to the script?
In terms of pacing, Anniversary starts out strong and only picks up momentum as it barrels towards its finale. I didn’t quite like the way the film resolved in its final act, as it felt a little too twisty and contrived in an effort to provide some degree of closure to all of its plotlines. For me, even if the ball winds up brushing against the foul line, I always respect a big swing.
Ultimately, Anniversary does suffer from biting off more than it can chew, but it also successfully paints a surprisingly believable — and nightmarishly plausible — picture of a family torn apart by their country’s fall to fascism. It’s anchored by tremendous performances and a provocative story that hammers home its core message: it could happen, it could happen right under your nose, and by the time you decide to fight back, it might already be too late.
Final TV Squad Score: 6/10
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