Anemone: A Family Drama Hindered by a Weak Screenplay (4K/Blu-ray)

The Film:

When the great Daniel Day-Lewis announced his retirement from acting back in 2017, it was quite a shock to everyone. To think that the man who had given such brilliant performances in films like "Lincoln," "Gangs of New York," "There Will Be Blood," and "My Left Foot, and had earned a remarkable three Oscars for Best Actor, would no longer be gracing the screen with his presence was certainly a disappointing blow. However, hope reignited in the last couple of years when it was announced that he would be coming out of said retirement for his son Ronan's directorial debut, "Anemone." He seemed rather adamant about it back then, which leaves us with a big question: Was it merely to help along his son's project (which DDL also co-wrote the script for), or was it something so special that he felt compelled enough to return to the profession he thought he had left for good?

The film begins with retired veteran Jem Stoker (Sean Bean) seeking out his brother Ray (Daniel Day-Lewis), another retired veteran, who now lives in an isolated cabin in the woods. His sole purpose is to get Ray to come back with him and talk to his troubled son Brian (Samuel Bottomley) who has gotten sent home from the Army for seriously injuring one of his fellow soldiers. Ray had been involved in The Troubles of Northern Ireland and had left his wife Nessa (Samantha Morton) & Brian behind after a certain incident caused him to be discharged, with Jem eventually marrying Nessa and raising Brian as his own son. Will Jem be able to talk some sense into Ray and get him to reunite with the family he hasn't seen in years?

"Anemone" wants so badly to be an emotionally-involving family drama, one that feels as though it lays out enough pieces that should come together to accomplish the endeavor, but which sadly ends up falling rather short due to the unusual simplicity of the storyline and a peculiar hesitation to really delve into these characters. We basically have a father who left his family after a difficult time in the service, and his brother who's trying to bring him back to them, which includes the troubled son he left behind. It's not long before the audience discovers that there just isn't really a whole lot to build an entire feature film out of with that foundation, especially one that goes on for an inexplicable two hours.

Perhaps the thinking was that having Daniel Day-Lewis play one of the leads would be enough to offset the problems with the weak screenplay, and indeed his performance is fine, but even he can't overcome the shortcomings of the bland material, leading to a film that merely plods on and on as the two men banter in the woods, while the son remains sad & angry at home with his mother. We quickly figure out that there are only two ways this can go, with one bringing it to a rather flat end, and the other leaning towards what could be the most emotionally gripping scene of the film, though it's sad to have to say that they fumble this as well, cutting to black right as we get to it.

In the end, Ronan Day-Lewis' "Anemone" is sadly a rather misguided outing. It relies far too heavily on Daniel Day-Lewis to save it from its lack of substance, but this is not something that can be so easily fixed. It's understandable that he would try to help out with his son's project, but hopefully, if he graces the big screen with his presence once again, he'll be more discerning when it comes to the film he chooses to get involved with next. There are certainly great projects out there that could benefit from his incredible talent, but unfortunately this little family drama was not one of them.

Video/Audio:

This edition of "Anemone" comes with the film on both 4K (2160p, UHD) and Blu-ray (1080p, HD) in 2.39:1 transfers of fantastic quality, presenting a beautifully sharp & clear picture on both versions that perfectly highlights the film's gorgeous settings & cinematography. Likewise, the Dolby Atmos audio tracks are outstanding, giving you all of the dialogue & music in excellent quality. Overall, Universal/Focus Features has done a marvelous job in both areas for the film's physical debut.

Special Features:

None.

Conclusion:

Ronan Day-Lewis' "Anemone" wants so badly to be an emotionally-involving family drama about a father that left his wife & son years ago, but even with the incredible talent of three-time Oscar-winner Daniel Day-Lewis, it's never able to overcome the lack of substance in its weak screenplay, ultimately leading to a predictable two-hour slog that fails to pull the audience into its overly-simplistic narrative.

Score: 2.5/5

Now available on 4K/Blu-ray.

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