Anemone Review: Daniel Day-Lewis Breaks Retirement in Son Ronan’s Art-House Debut

New York Film Festival, September 22, 2025 – Daniel Day-Lewis makes his much-anticipated return to cinema in Anemone, directed by his 27-year-old son Ronan Day-Lewis. While the project marks a touching father-son collaboration, the film itself struggles to find momentum, weighed down by heavy themes, long silences, and art-house pretension. Daniel Day-Lewis as Ray, a Haunted Recluse The Oscar-winning actor, who announced his retirement eight years ago, reappears on screen as Ray, a weathered hermit living in a remote cabin in Northern England. With his silver-gray buzzcut and handlebar mustache, Ray is a man burdened by secrets, slowly revealed through a series of unsettling monologues. In one of the most shocking sequences, Ray recounts a disturbing act of revenge against a priest who abused him as a child. Delivered with sinister relish by Day-Lewis, the monologue sets a dark, uncomfortable tone that lingers throughout the film. A Family Confrontation in the Woods The story takes shape when Ray’s estranged brother Jem (Sean Bean) arrives, hoping for reconciliation. The two spend long stretches of time drinking, glaring at one another, and occasionally breaking the tension — including an unexpected midnight dance. Jem’s partner Nessa (Samantha Morton) and their son Brian (Samuel Bottomley) also become entangled in Ray’s troubled past, hinting at deeper family wounds. While the narrative touches on weighty issues such as child abuse in the Catholic Church and the scars of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the execution often feels fragmented. A later monologue reveals Ray’s past as a British soldier accused of a war crime — a subplot that raises more questions than it answers. Daniel Day-Lewis Supporting His Son’s Vision With a career spanning just 21 films, including iconic roles in Lincoln, There Will Be Blood, and My Left Foot, Day-Lewis has little left to prove. Here, however, his performance feels deliberately restrained, as though he does not want his comeback to overshadow his son’s directorial debut. Ronan Day-Lewis demonstrates a clear visual eye, framing the woodland isolation with stark imagery. The title Anemone — a flower symbolizing loss and rebirth — gestures at meaning, but the film’s symbolism often lands with a heavy hand. A Static but Symbolic Debut At 125 minutes, Anemone drifts between profound themes and long stretches of stillness. Despite flashes of intensity, much of the film feels static, its emotional impact diluted by overly stylized gloom and indie-rock melancholy. Still, the project resonates as a symbolic passing of the torch: a legendary actor stepping out of retirement not for the spotlight, but to help launch his son’s career. Unfortunately, Anemone may be remembered less as Daniel Day-Lewis’ grand return, and more as an art-house experiment that wilted under its own weight. --- Production Details Director: Ronan Day-Lewis Writers: Daniel Day-Lewis, Ronan Day-Lewis Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sean Bean, Samantha Morton, Samuel Bottomley, Safia Oakley-Green Cinematography: Ben Fordesman Editor: Nathan Nugent Music: Bobby Krlic Producers: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner Executive Producers: Daniel Day-Lewis, Brad Pitt Runtime: 125 minutes Distributor: Focus Features

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