Anemone is a 2025 psychologicaldrama film directed by Ronan Day-Lewis, in his feature directorial debut, from a screenplay he co-wrote with his father, Daniel Day-Lewis, who also stars in the lead role. A co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States, it features Day-Lewis's return to acting for the first time since Phantom Thread in 2017, alongside Sean Bean and Samantha Morton in supporting roles. It follows a troubled recluse whose estranged brother arrives to convince him to come home and reunite with his family.
Anemone has received mixed reviews from critics, who criticized its screenplay, but praised the cinematography and performances, with many singling out the performance of Day-Lewis, welcoming his return to the industry.
In September 2024, it was announced that Daniel Day-Lewis would be making his acting return after retirement in 2017 following the release of Phantom Thread. In addition to starring as Ray Stoker, Daniel co-wrote the script for Anemone with his son, Ronan Day-Lewis, who also directed the film. Samantha Morton, Samuel Bottomley, and Safia Oakley-Green also joined the cast, with Jane Petrie as costume designer and Chris Oddy as production designer.[6]
Principal photography began on October 1, 2024, in Manchester, England.[7] Later that month, while filming in Handbridge in Chester, production was disrupted after traffic wardens posted parking tickets on several of the 1980s prop vehicles that were parked on double-yellow lines. A spokesperson for Cheshire West and Chester Council explained that, while a request for parking technical support vehicles in restricted areas had been granted, this did not include the prop cars, and a separate request for a full road closure application during filming had been rejected as it was assessed as "being too disruptive" for residents.[8]
In September 2025, it was announced that Bobby Krlic would compose the film's score.[9]
Release
Anemone had its world premiere at the 2025 New York Film Festival.[10] It then was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on October 3, 2025, with a nationwide expansion on October 10,[11] before it was released in the United Kingdom on November 7, 2025.[12]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 55% of 109 critics' reviews are positive.The website's consensus reads: "Returning Daniel Day-Lewis to the screen with all his ferocious talent intact, Anemone succeeds more as a showcase for its star's evergreen magnetism and debut director Ronan Day-Lewis' stylistic flair than as a cohesive drama."[14]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 55 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[15]
Day-Lewis' performance received generally good reviews. Damon Wise of Deadline notes that the film "might be a tad too long."[16] David Rooney for The Hollywood Reporter notes that the film "marks a magnificent emergence from eight years of retirement for the great Daniel Day-Lewis."[17]
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