--- title: "Anemone: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/anemone/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/anemone" critics_score: 52 critics_reviews: 22 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Anemone (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 52 from 22 reviews: 5 positive, 10 mixed, 7 negative. Most critics agree that Anemone belongs to Daniel Day-Lewis. Nearly every review, including the hostile ones, picks out his performance, and several single out two long monologues as the film’s strongest passages. The imagery gets the next most consistent credit: the woodland setting, a river sequence, and a debut director with a clear eye for a frame. Sean Bean draws a few mentions for his quieter work. Beyond that the reviews scatter widely. The reservations cluster on the script, which is called thin, underwritten and slow, with a story that stays hazy too long and a tone most find excessively solemn. A handful of critics, Empire and IndieWire among them, think the promise outweighs the faults. A larger group finds it a slog, and the lowest scores come from Variety, which calls it a static dud, and The Observer, which alone argues the film wastes Day-Lewis rather than serving him. ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 October 2025. Freer finds the film a powerful, brooding story and praises Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance as a showcase for his talent. He also singles out Sean Bean’s subtle work and the film’s visual poetry, though he finds the cuts to Nessa and Brian slow the story. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/anemone/) ## IndieWire — Ryan Lattanzio Rating B. 28 September 2025. Lattanzio finds the debut a miserable but richly made drama whose promise outweighs its flawed conclusion. He praises Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance and the film’s dense, spiky dialogue. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/anemone-review-ronan-day-lewis-1235153177/) ## The AV Club — Luke Hicks Rating B. 1 October 2025. Hicks finds the film a poignant, promising drama that lets its mysteries linger too long. He praises Daniel Day-Lewis’s magnetic performance and the painterly imagery, especially a striking river sequence. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/anemone-review) ## Screen Daily — Robert Daniels Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 28 September 2025. The page identifies this as a review, but its verdict is not visible in the accessible text. The article body is behind a paywall, so no specific praise or complaint can be established. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/anemone-review-daniel-day-lewis-returns-to-the-big-screen-in-family-drama-directed-by-his-son/5209393.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 2 October 2025. The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No praise or complaint from the review was available to identify. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/movies/anemone-review-daniel-day-lewis.html) ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Rating 4/3/2. 4 November 2025. Jenkins finds the film a dour slog despite moments of magic. He praises Daniel Day-Lewis’s two intricate monologues, while criticizing the stylized visuals and thin supporting characters. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/anemone) ## Time Out — Anna Smith Rating 3/5. 13 October 2025. The review presents the film as a powerful, haunting family drama. It singles out Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance and the film’s visual poetry for praise. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/anemone-review-2025) ## Sight and Sound — BFI Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 6 November 2025. The review finds the debut uneven, despite Daniel Day-Lewis’s potent, realistic performance. It praises the woodland atmosphere but faults the dramatic structure, repetitive visual choices and soundtrack. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/anemone-welcome-return-from-daniel-day-lewis) ## Slant Magazine — Anzhe Zhang Rating 2/4. 28 September 2025. Festival review. The critic finds the film visually striking but dramatically underdeveloped, with its family story obscured by hazy storytelling. Daniel Day-Lewis’s two monologues are singled out as powerful highlights, though they only partly compensate for the weak script. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/anemone-review-daniel-day-lewis-ronan-day-lewis/) ## The Guardian Rating 2 out of 5 stars. 28 September 2025. Festival review. The review calls the film a bleak, painfully serious misfire. It faults the film for being portentous and plodding. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/series/first-look-review/2025/sep/28/all) ## Los Angeles Times — Tim Grierson Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 3 October 2025. Grierson finds the film weighed down by excessive seriousness and an underwritten story, despite its star’s commanding presence. He singles out Daniel Day-Lewis’s stillness and volcanic emotional force as the film’s most compelling element. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-10-03/anemone-review-daniel-day-lewis-ronan-sean-bean-samantha-morton) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 28 September 2025. Festival review. Rooney finds the family drama underpowered and emotionally distancing, despite Daniel Day-Lewis’s commanding return. He singles out Day-Lewis’s magnetic performance and the film’s striking landscapes, while criticizing its thin screenplay and ponderous atmosphere. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/anemone-review-daniel-day-lewis-1236385949/) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 28 September 2025. Festival review. Ebiri finds the film muddled and overlong, despite Daniel Day-Lewis nearly elevating it. He singles out Day-Lewis’s intense, emotionally wide-ranging performance as transcendent. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-daniel-day-lewis-almost-saves-anemone-from-itself.html) ## The Observer — Wendy Ide Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2025. Ide finds the film an incoherent, undisciplined slog and strongly rejects its execution. She criticizes its empty symbolism and showy acting, especially saying it wastes Daniel Day-Lewis and Samantha Morton. [Read the review](https://observer.co.uk/culture/film/article/wendy-ides-pick-of-other-films-train-dreams-dragonfly-predator-badlands-the-choral-and-more) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 28 September 2025. Gleiberman judges the film a dud: pretentious, static, and short on drama. He praises Ronan Day-Lewis’s eye for framing shots, but says the film’s striking imagery and themes ultimately amount to little. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/anemone-review-daniel-day-lewis-1236530758/) ## The Wrap — William Bibbiani Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 1 October 2025. The critic finds the film odd and insular but ultimately mesmerizing and heartfelt. They single out the strong performances, especially Daniel Day-Lewis’s intense work, while noting the film’s deliberate pacing and heavy-handedness. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/anemone-review-daniel-day-lewis/) ## Deadline — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 28 September 2025. Festival review. Wise finds Anemone haunting and atmospheric, despite its length and some distracting late magic realism. He especially praises its visual experience and the chemistry between Daniel Day-Lewis and Sean Bean. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2025/09/anemone-review-daniel-day-lewis-ronan-day-lewis-sean-bean-1236557832/) ## /Film — Jeremy Mathai Rating 6.5/10. 29 September 2025. Festival review. The review finds the debut uneven in pacing and thematic coherence, but sees promise in Ronan Day-Lewis’s filmmaking. It praises Daniel Day-Lewis’s commanding performance and the powerful work of the cast. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1981994/anemone-daniel-day-lewis-movie-review/) ## Paste — Jesse Hassenger Rating 6.4/10. 28 September 2025. Festival review. Hassenger finds the film artistically sincere but ultimately somewhat self-indulgent and less satisfying when it shifts toward conventional family drama. He praises Daniel Day-Lewis’s vivid performance and the brothers’ compelling, gritty connection. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/daniel-day-lewis/anemone-film-nyff-daniel-day-lewis-ronan-day-lewis) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page is blocked by anti-crawler protection, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No specific praise or complaint is visible. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/anemone-review-daniel-day-lewis-roars-back-to-life-in-ronan-day-lewis-blistering-directorial-debut-20251002/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating 5/10. 1 October 2025. Bonaime finds the film visually striking but too empty and drawn out to make its story compelling. He praises Daniel Day-Lewis’s powerful performance in a standout monologue, though those moments are too sparse. [Read the review](https://collider.com/anemone-review-daniel-day-lewis-sean-bean/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 20 November 2025. Wilkinson finds the film a slog, with familiar themes and leaden pacing undermining its drama. She praises the actors’ performances and the director’s visual flair, but says the film’s looks cannot compensate for its lack of substance. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/anemone-2025-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/anemone.md