Focus Features has unveiled a dark and intense first trailer for Anemone, the film bringing three-time Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis back to the big screen for the first time since Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread in 2017, which looks like it could set him up for awards consideration once again.
Marking the directorial debut of the actor’s son, Ronan Day-Lewis, the film is billed as an exploration of the complex and profound ties that exist between brothers, fathers, and sons. Its plot has been kept under wraps, and isn’t made entirely clear by the trailer, which introduces Daniel Day-Lewis as Ray Stoker, a man wrestling with his past out in a rainy and isolated, wooded location.
The trailer largely centers on exchanges between Ray and a character played by Sean Bean.
“All these years, the isolation. This is it. This is my life,” says Day-Lewis.
Bean tells him that he’s “seen my share of lost souls,” but Day-Lewis insists he’s beyond his reach.
Day-Lewis alludes to a dark history with the army, saying, The army teaches you to grin and bear it. The war was the crime and we were the phantom soldiers.”
Bean says, “I can’t help you till he told me what happened,” to which Day-Lewis replies, “Is that a question? What do you want from me, brother? What do you want?”
“You’re going to hell, brother,” Bean says. And Day-Lewis agrees, saying simply, “Family reunion.”
Anemone is slated to open in limited release on October 3rd before expanding on October 10th. Ronan Day-Lewis directed from his script written with Daniel Day-Lewis, with Brad Pitt’s Plan B producing. Samuel Bottomley, Safia Oakley-Green, and Samantha Morton co-star.
Prior to the announcement of Anemone, Daniel Day-Lewis had formally announced his retirement from acting, stating through his publicist, “Daniel Day-Lewis will no longer be working as an actor. He is immensely grateful to all of his collaborators and audiences over the many years.” Whether he’ll be back for more projects beyond Focus’ father-son collaboration isn’t yet clear.
Other films set for an October 3 launch include A24’s The Smashing Machine, IFC Films’ buzzy dog-centric horror film Good Boy, and the horror thriller Bone Lake from Bleecker Street, to name just a few. Check out the trailer for Anemone by clicking above.