Anniversary

It’s frightening how quickly, easily and seemingly innocuously circumstances in society can change (and in a wide range of areas, too). One day you’re leading a tranquil, happy life and the next you’re a pariah under the scrutiny of a totalitarian, cult-like sociopolitical movement (conditions to which many of us can probably relate these days). Such is the experience of Ellen and Paul Taylor (Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler), a college professor and restaurateur, respectively, who are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary with family and friends. But this festive occasion is undercut by the appearance of an unexpected guest, Liz Nettles (Phoebe Dynevor), the new girlfriend of the couple’s son, Josh (Dylan O’Brien), an unsuccessful novelist. Her presence is a source of quiet but undeniable disruption, given that she was once one of Ellen’s students at Georgetown University. Liz was perceived by Ellen and her peers as a dangerously radical student who advocated for a strictly dogmatic one-party government, a so-called symbol of “a united population,” backed by the considerable resources of a corporate conglomerate imbued with sweeping powers. And now, as the author of a best-selling manifesto supporting her ultra-conservative ideology, she has become the poster child for a broad-based sociopolitical movement known as “The Change,” one not unlike that seen in director Frank Capra’s “Meet John Doe” (1941) but condescendingly fueled by control and manipulation rather than kindness and compassion. Over the course of the next five years, as the movement and the clout wielded by Liz and Josh grow, they begin exerting significant influence over Ellen, Paul and their three daughters (Madeline Brewer, Zoey Deutch, Mckenna Grace), efforts that tear the family apart. This horrific experience carries a huge cost, one that’s often maddening, heartbreaking and difficult to watch but one that, as a potent cautionary tale, also shouldn’t be ignored. Writer-director Jan Komasa’s gripping morality play strongly advises us to remain vigilant under circumstances like these lest we fall prey to them ourselves, examples of which we have already seen in contemporary American society. In that regard, there’s a decidedly edge-of-your-seat quality that pervades the narrative, steadily building as the story unfolds and often coming across as shocking but, sadly, not as inconceivable. This is made possible by the film’s fine, credible writing and the excellent performances of the ensemble, most notably Lane, who turns in yet another superb portrayal. While the characters at times appear monodimensional, that’s not entirely unexpected in a tale like this where they essentially double as archetypal figures in a philosophical milieu. Viewers should also note that the film may leave a disheartening impression on them, a quality that may have contributed to its extremely short theatrical run in late October 2025. Nevertheless, neither of those attributes diminishes the excellence of this below-the-radar offering. “Anniversary” is one of those pictures that tactfully but unabashedly shouts at audience members to pay attention to what it has to say given the stakes involved both for us as individuals but also collectively as a society with a questionably viable future.