Daniel Day-Lewis’ Anemone Debuts With Underwhelming Rotten Tomatoes Score

by

Award-winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis boasts a remarkable career, having earned three Academy Awards for Best Actor. Famous for his dedication to method acting, Day-Lewis has frequently taken extended breaks from acting, but he’s now returning with a new film, Anemone.

Filming for the project began in October 2024. This marks Daniel Day-Lewis’ return to acting following speculation about his retirement. It’s been eight years since his last film, Phantom Thread, and this project is also his first time as a screenwriter. He co-wrote the script with his son, Ronan Day-Lewis, who also directed. However, despite the lengthy wait, Anemone didn’t receive strong initial reviews, earning a 64% rating on Rotten Tomatoes after its premiere at the New York Film Festival.

Based on the first 25 reviews, the film is barely achieving a “fresh” rating – meaning generally positive. However, this is a weaker start compared to the director’s previous works, like 2017’s Phantom Thread (Certified Fresh at 91%) and 2012’s Lincoln (Certified Fresh at 89%). The film is scheduled for release on Oct. 3, and an audience score isn’t available yet.

Reviews of the film were mixed, with nine critics giving it negative assessments. David Rooney of The Guardian praised the “magnetic intensity” of the three-time Oscar winner, but pointed out that Day-Lewis’ strong performance wasn’t enough to save a story that felt slow and lacked focus. He explained that the film’s earlier scenes often used unnecessary details instead of building genuine atmosphere, and that Anemone ultimately feels too detached to truly connect viewers with the characters or their stories.

Owen Gleiberman of Variety describes Anemone as “a disappointing film – overly showy and lifeless, relying too heavily on stylish visuals and gloomy indie music instead of a compelling story.” He suggests that while the actor’s return is notable, he plays “a surprisingly subdued part, perhaps because Daniel Day-Lewis doesn’t want his presence to distract from the film itself.”

As a movie lover, I really agree with Vulture’s Bilge Ebiri when he said the issue with Anemone isn’t its weird, beautiful visuals or even the familiar idea of violence repeating through families. It’s that, given those things, the movie just needed to be much more focused and impactful. Instead, it felt a little loose and, honestly, kind of flat. He put it perfectly: it needed to be tight and diamond-sharp, not baggy and inert.

In a positive review, Damon Wise of Empire highlights that Anemone is a film that stands on its own, despite its central theme revolving around living in the shadow of others-a point emphasized by the casting choices. He notes that Daniel Day-Lewis Jr. skillfully avoids relying on his father’s established reputation, instead using those expectations to his advantage, which unexpectedly benefits the narrative. Wise praises Day-Lewis Jr.’s understated performance, stating, “Although he could so easily have rested on his old man’s laurels, Day-Lewis Jr. instead exploits those expectations of his father’s power, and he does so in a fuss-free way that serves the story surprisingly well.”

Caralynn Matassa gave the film a positive review, commending the strong acting and observing that “Day-Lewis and [Sean] Bean, both exceptionally talented actors, share a great connection and deliver their best work despite a simple script and limited storyline.” However, her review also expressed a desire for Day-Lewis to have selected a “stronger film” for his comeback, stating that “the story in Anemone isn’t original or captivating enough for the movie to succeed solely on atmosphere and acting.” She also noted that “a sense of excessive self-focus, particularly visible in the unnecessarily lengthy shots, occasionally pulls focus from the film and from the excellent performances by Day-Lewis and Bean.”

Daniel Day-Lewis Detailed His Decision to Come Back From Retirement

Regarding his newest endeavor, the actor-who has won three Oscars-shared that, “I’m returning to the kind of work I’m passionate about. I realized very early in life, even as a child, that this would be my career, one way or another, for better or worse. I hoped I’d be able to continue working for a long time, and yes, I did take some time off.”

He explained, “It seems I’ve been told I’ve retired on two separate occasions. However, I wouldn’t ever describe it as retirement. The reason is, when I stop working on a particular project, it’s simply because I want to focus on something else. It’s more about shifting my focus than actually retiring.”

Day-Lewis admitted he felt like a “f-ing fool” when he first announced his retirement, and thinks he might be an even bigger fool for returning to acting. However, he believes it would have been a worse choice to refuse opportunities to collaborate with others just to maintain his pride. He felt it was important not to deny himself the chance to work with more people.

Anemone premieres in theaters on Oct. 3.

Read More

2025-09-29 16:39