Anniversary
- Ben Pivoz
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Politics seem to get more partisan, controversial and inspire more anger by the day. Fascism, communism, radicalization, authoritarianism and free speech are concepts that seem to appear in every news story these days. Into this charged climate comes Anniversary, a provocative thriller of ideas. It is about a family of liberal intellectuals ripped apart by the contrasting ideology of a newcomer. It is fascinating because of what it does and does not show. It takes the division we are experiencing and peers into it, exploring where we could be headed, taking it to a logical, upsetting, conclusion.
There is melodrama, but that is not the goal. It is only there to illustrate a point. It is a bold movie, especially now, that is not easy to watch. I am curious to see what kind of conversations it will generate.
Some viewers may laugh it off. The narrative is messy and inconsistent, the characters are mostly stereotypes and the plotting is a bit on the nose. Still, there is something urgent about it. The screenplay does not come off as angry. It is a warning: this is what could happen, more hatred, less understanding, more violence, if we don’t pull back. Fear and certainty are a poison that infects this family in a way that is meant as a microcosm for this country. If you can look past the surface of the story, dig into what director Jan Komasa is trying to say, this is a pretty significant project.
The Taylors are affluent and connected. Mother Ellen is a respected professor at Georgetown. Father Paul owns a successful restaurant. They have three daughters: Anna, a liberal lesbian comedian, Cynthia, an environmental lawyer, and Birdie, still in high school and unsure of her worldview. Their only son, Josh, is a writer struggling in his mom’s shadow. The movie opens with Ellen and Paul’s 25th wedding anniversary, where they are introduced to Josh’s girlfriend, Elizabeth. Elizabeth was a student of Ellen’s, who clashed with her over the former’s radical ideas about democracy. Is it a coincidence that Elizabeth is dating Josh? Ellen doesn’t think so. Elizabeth’s insertion into the family dynamic is just the beginning of a fracture that threatens to take them all down.
One of the biggest weapons on display in Anniversary (108 minutes, without the end credits) is a sneaky sense of indoctrination that is felt more than seen. Upon her initial reintroduction to Elizabeth, Ellen is convinced that Elizabeth is using Josh to get revenge on Ellen for essentially chasing her out of Georgetown. What exactly is Elizabeth doing? She seems incredibly phony, to be sure. Acting grateful and friendly with no sincerity whatsoever. It is easy to believe that a desire for retribution is hiding behind her passively smiling veneer.
Josh seems happy, not as though he is being manipulated into doing anything. As the story skips forward, a year at a time, Josh is clearly changing. The idea seems to be that Elizabeth used her message of political unity to encourage Josh, subtly turning him against his family so that he doesn’t even realize he has been coerced.
What Elizabeth is preaching, in a book that becomes a culture-changing sensation, is breaking down the two-party system into just one, bringing America together into a single group. Words like “unity” and “freedom” and phrases like “American values” get thrown out, yet mean nothing. The country is taken over by a massive corporation that Elizabeth and Josh are key parts of. “Freedom of choice” evolves into “with us or against us.” It is scary because it isn’t a hostile takeover. It is a movement chosen by the people, leading to their own persecution, something we have seen many times in world history.
Komasa and screenwriter Lori Rosene-Gambino toss in so much that the characters are symbols rather than individuals. However, the cast is very good, making it possible to care about each scene, even when it is obvious that the themes underneath the narrative are more important than anything else. I wasn’t interested in the people as much as I was in seeing how far the premise was going to be taken. The answer is: all the way. I am not sure how much I believed in the plausibility of some of the final act twists. From a pure entertainment standpoint, Anniversary is uneven. But that does nothing to lessen the impact of what it effectively represents.
4 out of 5
Cast:
Diane Lane as Ellen Taylor
Kyle Chandler as Paul Taylor
Phoebe Dynevor as Elizabeth Nettles
Dylan O’Brien as Josh Taylor
Zoey Deutch as Cynthia Taylor
Madeline Brewer as Anna Taylor
Mckenna Grace as Birdie Taylor
Daryl McCormack as Rob Thompson
Directed by Jan Komasa
Screenplay by Lori Rosene-Gambino
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