Anemone

There is one thing that immediately screams out to you when considering this film, and that’s three-time academy award winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis. If that metric alone is what you find valuable in a movie, then this one is perfect for you. If you prefer more cinematic ‘meat on your bones,’ I’d look elsewhere.

Anemone is a family affair and the directorial debut of Ronan Day-Lewis (DDL’s son). It’s co-written by the father/son duo, and has so much potential. I’ll cut to the chase.

What does this film do right?

It’s got some incredibly beautiful visuals of the English countryside, some excellent acting, and a rare few sequences that really piqued my interest. At many points in the film, there is what feels like the beginning of something truly magical.

What does it do wrong?

It’s incredibly debilitated by its pacing, and is at times detrimentally ambiguous. Most sequences are painstakingly long, which only isn’t a problem when Daniel Day-Lewis is pouring his heart out. Without spoiling it, there were a few instances involving magic (or monsters?) where my open-mindedness was overshadowed by genuine confusion.

This movie feels like a broken escalator, you go into it thinking you’re ready for it, but once you step on, you can’t help but feel off. With that being said, I could see this movie being phenomenal if re-edited, tightened, or restructured.