Anniversary

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 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.

Sometimes a movie sneaks up on you. You go in, the movie begins, and you think it is going to be a normal drama about a family. But as the movie goes on you find out that something is brewing that may soon boil over into a whole other thing. That is my experience seeing Anniversary.

Ellen Taylor (Diane Lane) is a university professor who leans to the left. Her husband Paul (Kyle Chandler) runs a restaurant. After introducing these two central characters, we slowly meet their kids as they arrive to celebrate Ellen and Paul's 25th wedding anniversary. Their youngest daughter Birdie (McKenna Grace) rolls into the yard on skates and heads to her bedroom which looks like a lab. Their daughter Anna (Madeline Brewer) comes looking for Birdie. They walk out into the living room, noticing their brother Josh (Dylan O'Brien) and his new girlfriend Elizabeth Nettles (Phoebe Dynevor). Ellen is skeptical of Liz but remains civil.

Last to arrive is their daughter Cynthia (Zoey Deutch) with her boyfriend Rob Thompson (Daryl McCormack). Surrounded by other friends and family the party begins in the backyard. Happy 25th, Ellen and Paul. Ellen has dreams for Josh, hopes that he will one day publish his sci-fi novel. When she finds out that Liz is also an author, she begins to wonder whether Josh is being used by her. The plot thickens when Liz publishes a book that becomes a best-seller.

The movie features the Taylor family as a microcosm of society. Things change in the country and subsequently alter the dynamics of the family. As that political and cultural shift becomes more pronounced, so does the tension among the Taylors. You know those tense family gatherings some of us might be anticipating for the upcoming holidays? Well, this is what happens with the Taylor clan.

How much you like this film will likely depend upon how you perceive our current cultural milieu in America. If you look around or watch the news and think everything is hunky dory, you will see this film differently than if you live under a cloud of concern regarding the direction the country is headed. The movie builds to a climax with plenty of shock, making this film leap from family drama to thriller. Full disclosure, I am living in that cloud of concern, but I will restrain myself and give this one 3.5 stars.

The level of hate in this movie is off the charts. The intense conversations down to the drama surrounding each of them. I truly was sucked into all of it at the big screen. Wrapped up in each of their personalities at the dinner table. Sure you could say not much goes on and its filmed mainly in one place. This is about capturing revenge, politics, passion, anger, family bonds. I may lower the score in the future based off of the suprise factore, but i have to give it the higher rating i did becsuse the acting was overall great, and it truly took me on a wild ride. The ending felt like a little much, as most movies do, but its a seemingly fit ending for how it all worked up.

Watched at AMC with Heather on 11-6-2025.

Amazing acting, Especially Dianne Lane. This is not for sissies, this is a "Manchurian Candidate" in reverse. The "villain" is clever, incredibly clever. The politics are current , think "Groyper " credo on steroids. The art world is certainly mirroring the real world, "Civil War, One Battle After Another, "After the party", and now Anniversary.

We need to make more of these films.