On their 25th (titular) anniversary, middle aged couple Ellen and Paul Taylor (Diane Lane and Kyle Chandler) meet their failed writer son's (Dylan O'Brien) girlfriend, Ellen (Phoebe Dynevor). Ellen, who's a professor, recognizes Ellen as a former student, one with radical ideology that is a threat to American democracy.
General storyline of "Anniversary" is not unlike Alex Garland's "Civil War," but with far less gunfire and combat. The movie's locations are limited, more or less, to the Taylor property, where we hear about what's going on across the country, without ever seeing the damage that Ellen's controversial book, The Change, ultimately brings about. Some of the characters, including Cynthia Taylor (Zoey Deutch), are plain old insufferable, in agreement with only the worst ideas and principles.
The film's ending is sudden, and rather unexpected. Its gloominess will linger in the viewer's mind extensively, wondering what exactly the theme was, but especially what Ellen's smirk while staring at the Taylor's family photo is supposed to signify. A mixed bag of a somewhat relevant scenario that fails to fully achieve what I imagine director Jan Komasa and writer Lori Rosene-Gambino were shooting for.
☆☆
No comments:
Post a Comment