Anemone Review | Flickreel

It’s been almost eight years since Daniel Day-Lewis announced his retirement. Call it denial, but I never believed that Phantom Thread would be Day-Lewis’ swan song. Day-Lewis has often taken extended breaks from acting. He even retired once before between The Boxer and Gangs of New York. While this has been the lengthiest gap in his filmography, it was only a matter of time until another project pulled Day-Lewis back in. Would it come from Paul Thomas Anderson or Martin Scorsese? In a surprising (and not at all surprising) move, Day-Lewis’ son is the one who brought his father out of retirement. Ronan Day-Lewis directs Anemone, which he also co-wrote with his dad. The elder Day-Lewis stars as Ray Stoker, a hermit who resides in a remote shack concealed among the trees. He cut himself off from society following a traumatic experience years earlier, leaving behind a now-teenage son named Brian (Samuel Bottomley) and his mother Nessa (Samantha Morton). Brother Jem (Sean Bean) assumed Ray’s position in his absence. As Brian begins to repeat his father’s pattern of violent behavior, Jem feels it’s time for Ray to return. He finds Ray, who remains as reserved as the film we’re watching.
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