The Change

This is a slight retelling of the rise of Hitler and the Nazis but in modern day America.

A scorned student who is upset by a teacher ends up with a big chip on her shoulder and sets out to write a book all about how to change things and how things will be much better.

Later the student meets her new mother in law (teacher who angered her). Slowly over each anniversary things change within the.new America.

The details of the ideology are not spoken about but the book is very inspiring to all different kinds of people, white/black, straight/gay etc.

There are also people who find the ideology restrictive and repressive.

Those opposing the new regime/ideology are hunted, caught and processed.

Overall the film is well acted, it can be tense and thoughtful and the pacing is good considering most of what occurs is within a single family home.

The focus is very much on one family and not so much the bigger picture which is merely hinted at.

This is a film where the actual politics/ideologies are not important, what is important is the way anyone opposing is shut down/cancelled/arrested/processed and how this affects a single family who are at the heart of this new movement.

This is a film about anti freedoms but also brain washing, manipulation, family dynamics within politics and how damaging the attempt and finding a utopia often becomes dystopia.

Its a solid 7/10 for the acting, message and powerful ending but don't expect a complete masterpiece.

I walked into this on a whim and couldn't be more impressed. This is 2025 in every sense of the word. Thank you director Jan Komosa, Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler, Zoey Deutch, all the talented performers in this film, you all deserve nominations. I write joke reviews sometimes but this is terrifyingly urgent filmmaking, why the medium was invented in the first place. Please give this film an audience, you will not regret it. Thank you.

I went into Anniversary knowing very little about it. I had only seen the trailer and was curious to see what kind of story it would tell, the tone felt mysterious and unpredictable right from the start.

The performances were strong, as expected from this cast. Diane Lane stood out once again, bringing a calm, grounded presence to her role. There are a few genuinely intense moments that work emotionally, but some of the characters' actions felt a bit unclear to me. The film doesn't always provide enough context to make their decisions feel fully believable, which is a shame because the setup had a lot of potential.

What I really appreciated, though, is that Anniversary proves you don't need big sets or flashy effects to create tension. Most of the story unfolds in a confined environment, almost backyard-like, which gives the film a grounded, realistic tone.

Overall, it's well acted, nicely directed, and worth watching, even if it doesn't fully hit the emotional depth it aims for.

This movie made me angry and sad; at one point it even made me cry. But above all, it scared me to death. It recounts the story of a prosperous middle-aged couple and their four children. He is a restaurateur and she is an academic.

They gather for their 25th anniversary, an occasion on which their only son, Josh, is going to introduce his fiancée, Liz, to the family. She turns out to be Ellen's former student, a radicalized writer with an anti-democratic ideology. Josh, a failed novelist, leans heavily on Liz's cause, contributing to a book she is writing, titled The Change, which establishes the foundations of a new world order.

Through a few time jumps over the next five years, we bear witness to the rapid changes in the family dynamics caused by Liz and Josh's rise to power, catapulted by a mighty corporation.

This is a gripping story. I read a review saying that it has too much on its plate to chew on. I would add that the film also has very good teeth and chews very well. It is not the first time that a film describes the sweeping takeover of fascism through an intimate story. Luchino Visconti did it in the early 70s with "The Dammed". But that was an after-the-fact depiction of nazism. "Anniversary", on the other hand, has one foot firmly set in the present, with references to ideological persecution, civilian surveillance, gaslighting and cult-type politics.

Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler and Dylan O'Brian (never thought he was able to make you hate one of this characters) all give powerful performances. Probably this movie is going to get lost in the shuffle during awards season, but I truly believe it deserves some love. It is that good.

"Anniversary" is an uncomfortable, unsettling viewing - exactly as it's meant to be. It's the first film to truly confront the state of the U. S. in the post-Trump era, exposing how toxic and divisive politics have become. The story plays like a cautionary tale, one that could easily serve as a prequel to The Handmaid's Tale. What makes it terrifying is how grounded it feels in our current reality.

The film is subtle, poignant, and thought-provoking, choosing to focus on a single family rather than on the events happening around them. This perspective makes the impact far more intimate and intense; you feel the consequences directly through the characters, how they change, and how the events twist their lives. It forces you to wonder how you would react if placed in their situation. Making this a must watch.

The cast is a huge part of the film's success, with eveyone delivering an Oscar-worthy performance - especially the always incredible Diane Lane. And everything else, from the direction to the writing to the cinematography, is absolutely top-notch.