'Anniversary': A Well-Acted, Engaging Thriller

PHOTO: Lionsgate

In a year with other films that have commented on American politics, a film like Anniversary is likely to fly under the radar. It isn’t as in-your-face as something like Eddington, nor is an epic like One Battle After Another. Instead, it is an ensemble film that blends elements of family drama and political thrillers and largely stays contained to one location. While I would argue that the other films I mentioned are more effective in their political commentary, that’s not to say that Anniversary misses the mark. It is well-acted and engaging, slowly unspooling its narrative before arriving at a rather dark conclusion. It is hard not to draw parallels between the film and current events, and one could interpret the film as a warning of how bad things could get given the political climate of the US. If nothing else, Anniversary is an entertaining drama that took me by surprise and had me locked in from start to finish.

Ellen (Diane Lane) and Paul (Kyle Chandler) are having a party to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. At this party, their son, Josh (Dylan O’Brien) introduces the family to his girlfriend, Liz. As it turns out, this isn’t the first time that Ellen and Liz have met, as she was one of her former students who wrote a controversial paper. Meanwhile, we are introduced to the rest of the family: Anna, the eldest daughter and stand-up comedian, Cynthia, a successful lawyer, and Birdie, a teenage genius. The family is tight-knit, but they begin to unravel as a political movement called “The Change” begins to sweep the nation. Over the span of five years, we see the growing divide between the family members, and see the world around them drastically change for the worse.

I went into this film knowing next to nothing about it, and I emerged surprised by how different it was from what I was expecting. I went in expecting it to be much more satirical and heightened, but it doesn’t feel too far removed from reality. This is mainly because the film is more focused on the shifting relationships of its characters than directly commenting on American politics. While this does cause any statement the film hopes to make to be lessened, it does keep the film focused. The family drama sections of the film are especially strong, giving off a sense of realism to counter the slightly exaggerated nature of the rest of the film. It shows the impact that politics can have on families in ways that don’t feel obvious or overdone, even if they are a bit intense. This is crucial to the film working as well as it does, as the humanity and truthfulness that exists in the relationship dynamics between the family helps what they experience hit with the proper impact. 

As a political commentary, the film definitely could be sharper. It keeps things rather vague when it comes to the political ideologies of its characters, but it’s pretty easy to map where characters align despite this. Some characters are clearly more left-leaning, while others gradually adopt more of a Conservative iconography throughout the film. The same could go for the movement at the center of the film, simply called “The Change”. Never once does the film explicitly state where it stands or what all The Change entails beyond a few key details. I kind of like that the film allows the viewer to fill in the blanks, but it also means that the film does skew a bit broad. That said, the film still gets some good digs in regarding political grifters and capitalism, so it’s not all for naught. While it would have been nice for it to have dug deeper in certain areas, it still gets some points across that feel pretty relevant in today’s political climate.

The big draw for the film is its ensemble cast headed up by a pair of reliable favorites, Diane Lane and Kyle Chandler. You can feel the love between the two all throughout the film, even when their relationship goes through some hardships related to The Change. Chandler’s character, Paul, tries to remain impartial throughout much of the film, but begins to shift after an incident regarding one of his children. His composure in the first half brings an interesting energy to the film, while the back half allows him to tear all of that down and become more jaded and depressed. A scene in which Paul is breaking down in front of his wife, Ellen, is one of the standout moments of the whole film, largely due to Chandler’s performance and how he builds and releases energy throughout it. He is very good in this film and has one of its more interesting arcs.

Seeing Diane Lane in this was a welcome surprise, as I haven’t seen her in much recently. It is so great to see her again, and her work here is easily some of her best. As Ellen, she is very against The Change and has a simmering anger that remains with her for much of the film. Her most interesting moments are those opposite Phoebe Dynevor’s Liz, as the two are at odds with each other for most of the film. They go toe-to-toe with each other a few times throughout the film, and they both complement each other so well. Lane’s role is definitely a bit showier, but she never lets the character feel over the top and keeps her rooted in reality. She is utterly compelling and has such a strong presence throughout the film. While everyone in the cast is great, Lane is easily the crown jewel and shows that she’s still got it.

The film also has some nice visual storytelling, which can be observed through the lighting and colors of the costumes. The beginning of the film is very bright, almost overexposed at times, giving off a more alluring aesthetic. As the film goes on, the color palette becomes grayer and more muted, mirroring the mood of the film. The costuming has a similar effect, as the clothing the characters wear tends to signal a way of thinking in them. Chandler’s more neutral attitude is reflected in him wearing the color blue and wearing similar outfits for much of the film. This changes once he begins to see things differently. We see this occur with other characters as well to varying degrees, helping to match the film’s gradually darker tone quite well and providing a creative use of craft in the process.

Anniversary may not be the most insightful in its political observations, but it still feels rather timely and intriguing. Although, much of the intrigue comes from the performances from the film’s ensemble, as well as the slow disintegration of the relationships between their characters. It is the type of film that should be experienced knowing as little as possible going into it, which is why I didn’t go into as much detail during this review. But while it might not be as strong in its political statements, it is still a great drama that does a great job of showing one family falling apart amidst major changes in the world around them. 

Rating: 3.5/5