“Anniversary” (2025) is about the Taylor family. The newest member, Liz Nettles (Phoebe Dyvnevor), wrote a book called “The Change: Birth of a New Nation,” which proposes a new political ideology in the US. Georgetown professor, happily married wife and proud mom, Ellen (Diane Lane), predicts that Liz and her ideas are trouble. The movie shows how Liz and her book affect the family over the course of five years. Will this family survive?
Recently, I saw a film called “Motherland” (2025), about a totalitarian government that was well acted and had excellent production design, but to remain apolitical to current audiences, the framework of the story was the weakest link. Polish director Joe Komasa and American writer Lori Rosene-Gambino in her feature film debut conceived of the story together and interweave a convincing psychological, political, cultural and personal framework without touching the third rail of real world, inflammatory politics. It is an impressive feat during such polarizing times to make a narrative where all sides may be able to see themselves in the story without sacrificing integrity in the current moral landscape or pulling any punches, which is a dig directed at “House of Dynamite” (2025). It is deliciously devastating and bleak. Anyone familiar with the history of Poland knows that various countries with invasive, destructive and differing ideologies occupied it, killed their people and functioned like a cuckoo to destroy it from the inside. Unlike Alex Garland, Komasa’s world building in foreign territory incorporates his experience while still feeling as if he understands the US. You will have to wait until you watch the movie to get details on Nettles’ theories and how they play out in the movie’s real world, but it felt plausible.
The cast is almost as iconic as the US itself. Lane plays a professor who styles herself as above politics and caring about the human condition, but she is not as neutral as she seems. Her ideology is the Constitution and freedom of thought except if it threatens democracy. “Friday Night Lights” Kyle Chandler plays a Beltway restauranteur, Paul, who benefits from DC politics while remaining neutral. He does not talk politics and wants everyone to get along not realizing his ideal of being tolerant to people who want to destroy you will result in destruction and cannot be tolerated. Their oldest daughter, Anna (Madeline Brewer), is a famous lesbian comedian who gets along with her sisters, but needles her brother, Josh (Dylan O’Brien, “Twinless”) for his professional failure to launch and lack of money. Lawyer Cynthia (Zoey Deutch, “Nouvelle Vague”) differs in opinion with her husband and law partner, Rob Thompson (Daryl McCormack), but mostly appear like a power couple. The youngest sibling, Birdie (Mckenna Grace, “Regretting You”), is coded as if she is autistic with her colorful, whimsical way of navigating the world, encyclopedic knowledge of science, and sensitive, quiet nature.
Liz is a great character because she works on multiple levels. She is messed up and working hard to stand up for herself. In many ways, “Anniversary” is a revenge movie with Liz going after Ellen as if she was a combination of the leads in “Tár” (2022) and “After the Hunt” (2025) with a dash of “All About Eve” (1950). There is even something of “Lady Macbeth” (2016) in her character in the way that she leverages polite society to gain the upper hand at each stage in her relationship with Josh. Ellen knows that Liz set her eyes on Josh to get back at her. It is also a classic tale of new wife versus mother-in-law. With the proliferation of Reddit’s AITA posts, it is impressive that such a storyline manages to keep Ellen sympathetic while not entirely demonizing Liz though she is the worst.
Josh is like the pathological version of the son in “You Hurt My Feelings” (2023) in the way that he resents his loving family and is an enthusiastic participant in gaining the upper hand on his family to avenge imagined grievances. Ellen’s biggest sin is…wait for it…believing in her son’s writing talent! Anna’s sin is accurately deeming him a financial failure without attacking his actual artistic abilities. He wants to harness Birdie’s mind for his own agenda and act as the family head. He wants to dominate his father who has zero tension with everyone else. Even Liz gets sick of Josh’s crap. O’Brien is thoroughly unlikable and is recognizable as the type of slick, political and controlling mover and shaker who knows how to change his demeanor based on the audience. Is this what it is like to live in a certain famous Massachusetts political family’s household at the holidays? Jokes aside, a lot of families are whispering about the younger men in their family and how the internet’s manosphere is radicalizing them and turning them against how they were raised almost in revenge against the women in their family even if those women were kind and doted on their sons.
Also, there was a little Biblical imagery with the names. Birds are usually symbols of the Holy Spirit, and it is a bad sign when the Holy Spirit leaves the Temple. Moses (Sky Yang), Birdie’s boyfriend, who is anti-The Change, was named after God’s messenger who had problems speaking and led the Hebrews from enslavement in Egypt. Joshua was Moses’ assistant and successor but seen as disobedient to God when he failed to follow God’s instructions, only believes what he sees or benefits from and opening the door to idolatry. Paul was someone who stopped God’s people and persecuted them but then changes though his teachings led to opening the door to quieting women who are Biblically leaders who range in titles from prophets to judges to the ones who first proclaimed the resurrection of Christ. Similarly, Paul in the movie stops the women in his family from speaking up against Liz to conform with the establishment that he adheres to. Nettles in the Bible were symbols of inaccessibility and desolation and associated with Job’s opponents. In many ways, “Anniversary” is a Job story.
“Anniversary” also revolves around René Magritte’s painting, “The Lovers” (1928) and pay attention to it. It is the only flashback in the film, and it is almost forgettable. It is part of a series of four paintings, which is the same number of children. Some theorize that it is less obviously a reference to Magritte’s mom’s suicide, and mental health is a psychological underpinning of many of the characters, especially when under the strain of an emerging repressive regime. Komasa has addressed depression and suicide in his past films, and Rosene-Gambino is a fan of Pedro Almodovar’s work, which references this painting in “Broken Embraces” (2009). The foundation of the film and the family is the love between Ellen and Paul, which begins in front of this painting. Despite their love for their children and each other, their genuine relationship is strained over the course of the movie. The family’s destiny, especially this couple, is the gauge of the country’s health, the canary in the coalmine.
“Anniversary” is sedate for a dystopian film so if you are expecting explosions and chaos, it may not be for you. If you enjoy nightmarish family gatherings with a heavy dose of passive aggressive, then it is for you. This slow burner is an ensemble film with excellent performances set in a refined Virginian neighborhood. You may not get what you want, but you will get what you need.
