🌊ANEMONE (2025): Daniel Day-Lewis Returns from Retirement in a Haunting Family Drama – Cast, Plot & Release Date

The master is back. After nearly a decade away from the screen, Daniel Day-Lewis returns in ANEMONE, a psychological drama about fathers, sons, and the fragile threads that bind a family together. Directed by his son Ronan Day-Lewis in his feature debut, and co-written with Daniel himself, the film marks a rare collaboration between generations—an artistic handoff wrapped inside an intimate, devastating story.

Premiering at the 2025 New York Film Festival on September 28, before its limited U.S. theatrical release on October 3, 2025 (and expanding October 10), Anemone is already one of the most anticipated films of the year.

As Ray Stoker, Daniel Day-Lewis breathes life into a man at war with his past, his family, and himself. And in true Day-Lewis fashion, every glance, pause, and word promises to linger long after the credits roll.

🎭 Plot & Themes – The Tides of Family

Anemone dives deep into the unspoken. It isn’t a sweeping gangster tale or a grand period drama, but a chamber piece—a slow-burning psychological exploration of brothers, fathers, and sons.

The Stoker family is fractured. Ray (Daniel Day-Lewis) returns home after years of absence, confronting his estranged brother Jem (Sean Bean), his wife Nessa (Samantha Morton), and his son Brian (Samuel Bottomley). Their reunion is neither joyous nor simple—it is an unraveling, with old wounds resurfacing and long-buried secrets threatening to choke them all.

The film’s title, Anemone, reflects this fragile duality—beautiful and delicate, but also a creature that stings when touched.

👥 The Cast – A Family of Giants

• Daniel Day-Lewis as Ray Stoker – The prodigal father, haunted and hardened. His return carries the weight of silence and regret.

• Sean Bean as Jem Stoker – The brother who stayed behind, whose loyalty and bitterness burn equally.

• Samantha Morton as Nessa Stoker – A mother who has carried the family’s weight through absence and conflict.

• Samuel Bottomley as Brian Stoker – The son caught in the tides of legacy, love, and resentment.

• Safia Oakley-Green – A key new presence who represents the next generation of the Stoker family’s ongoing cycle.

With this ensemble, Anemone promises raw, emotionally charged performances that feel less like acting and more like excavation.

🎬 Behind the Camera – The Day-Lewis Legacy

Directed by Ronan Day-Lewis, the film marks a deeply personal debut, one sharpened by his father’s guidance. The screenplay—co-written by father and son—adds another layer: art as a dialogue between generations.

• Cinematography: Ben Fordesman captures the Stokers’ world in intimate detail, framing both claustrophobic interiors and windswept exteriors with painterly precision.

• Editing: Nathan Nugent (Room, Normal People) brings subtle rhythm, letting silences speak as loudly as dialogue.

• Music: Bobby Krlic (a.k.a. The Haxan Cloak) provides a score both mournful and tense, weaving strings and electronic textures to echo the undercurrents of pain.

📅 Release Details

• World Premiere: September 28, 2025 – New York Film Festival

• U.S. Theatrical Release: October 3, 2025 (limited), expanding October 10

• Distribution: Focus Features (U.S.), Universal Pictures (International)

• Runtime: 121 minutes

⭐ Why Anemone Matters

Daniel Day-Lewis’s return to acting is monumental in itself. But Anemone is more than a comeback—it’s a generational handoff, a collaboration between father and son that blurs the line between performance and legacy.

As Ray Stoker confronts his family, audiences will watch Daniel confront his own history on-screen one last time—or perhaps begin a new chapter.

Like the flower it’s named after, Anemone is fragile, striking, and unforgettable. Expect a haunting meditation on bloodlines, memory, and the bonds that wound as much as they heal.