@Courtesy fo Focus Features
Daniel Day-Lewis is back from retirement, and this is fantastic news for anyone who loves movies.
But which Daniel Day-Lewis is back? It is indeed a legitimate question, since in my opinion there have been at least two different kinds of performer that he was able to develop in his extraordinary career: the first one is the sophisticated, elegant actor that we loved in movies like The Phantom Thread, Lincoln, The Last of the Mohicans or The Age of Innocence (which I personally consider his best performance among this kind of “aristocratic” acting). The second one is actually quite the opposite: a visceral, raging, larger-than-life actor dealing with obscure, violent characters. There Will Be Blood and Gangs of New York are the best examples of this second “face” of Daniel Day-Lewis.
Ray Stoker, the main character of Anemone which he co-wrote together with the director, his son Ronan, definitely belongs to the second side of his craft. The story talks about the dramatic reunion of two brothers – the other one is Jem, played by Sean Bean – who spend a few days in the woods and try to amend Ray’s sins and his personal demons from the past.
Anemone is a movie clearly written in order to elevate the performances of the two protagonists, especially Day-Lewis. The screenplay deals with a lot of issues, maybe even too many in order to be considered completely cohesive. The main one is related to the drama of the conflicts in Northern Ireland, that Daniel Day-Lewis already explored together with the director Jim Sheridan in great movies like In the Name of the Father and The Boxer. Anemone isn’t at that level, and probably doesn’t want to be because its goal it’s clearly to exploit the history in order to create the tension between the two brothers. Ronan Day-Lewis creates an intriguing mix between a kammerspiel drama and a mise en scene capable of taking advantage of the magnificent natural settings, plus a couple of dream-like scenes of visual impact.
As a director, he is also capable of showing with richness the differences between the two characters, helped by his father and Sean Bean. the best quality of Anemone is in fact the way the two actors developed their characters: but if Day-Lewis delivers once again a strong, histrionic performance (that we gladly welcome back), the real surprise is a composed Sean Bean, who portrays with intimate intensity a religious man who wants to save his beloved brother’s soul. If Anemone is certainly based on a plot that we already saw several times, nonetheless the movie contains some emotionally powerful scenes and an interesting idea of how to turn the drama into effective images.
@Courtesy of Focus Features
It is obvious, and it couldn’t have been otherwise, that the principal source of interest in Anemone is seeing Daniel Day-Lewis acting again eight years after his last movie. The whole project is wholly tailored to himself, and in the end that’s good because his performance reminds us what incredible actor he is. Even if Daniel doesn’t know anything new or different that he has already offered before, it is still a powerful, emotional piece of work, and that’s enough.
As a first feature-film, Anemone also demonstrates that Ronan Day-Lewis owns an original vision about what he wanted to represent and how he wanted to do it. It goes without saying that this is his father’s movie, meaning that in the future it could be interesting to see him creating something else and totally his own. That said, Anemone definitely is worth watching because despite some weak sides, especially in the screenplay, it contains the right amount of drama and emotional intensity. The cast, which also contains the always beloved Samantha Morton in a supporting role, is the principal reason this movie works.
Rate: B-
If you liked the review, share your thoughts below.
Check out more of Adriano’s articles.
Here’s the trailer for Anemone: