I almost missed “Anniversary.” I honestly had seen nothing about the movie, which amazed me because I have a horrible amount of screentime hours. When an ad finally showed on the TV, I was shocked to see all these big-name actors in a movie that I hadn’t heard of. The presence of Dylan O’Brien, Phoebe Dynevor, Zoey Deutch, and Diane Lane reeled me in.
I was especially shocked that O’Brien was one of the front-runners, as I consider myself very in-tune with the world of Mr. O’Brien, and have since I was in middle school.
Nevertheless, my guardian angel was looking down on me and brought this movie to my attention, which I believe to be a very opportune occurrence because this was definitely worth the watch.
As stated before, I went into this movie quite nervous, as thrillers and horror are the opposite of what I typically like. I was afraid there would be some jumpscares that would embarrass me in the theater, but I was happy to report there were none of those.
The movie tells of a semi-happy family, with a lot of passive aggressive tension between the parents, Ellen and Paul Taylor, portrayed by Lane and Kyle Chandler respectively, and their son, Josh Taylor, portrayed by O’Brien. The tension comes to a head when Josh brings his new girlfriend, Elizabeth “Liz” Nettles, portrayed by Dynevor, to the parents 25th anniversary dinner.
We quickly find out that Liz was a former student of Ellen’s from Georgetown University; a student that wrote a thesis revolving around a radical political movement called “The Change.”
However, the movement proved to be more successful than not, as after Liz published a book laying out the form of government that the U.S. government adopted; a one/no-party, censored, dystopian regime where intellectualism and individualism are discouraged.
RELATED: Review | ‘Ballad of a Small Player’ brings stellar cinematography to the screen
From the beginning of the movie, Ellen and Liz proved to be strong-willed, stubborn, and powerful female leads, as did the rest of the Taylor girls; Anna, played by Madeline Brewer, Cynthia, portrayed by Deutch, and Birdie, played by Mckenna Grace.
I particularly enjoyed seeing Dynevor and Deutch in this movie, as I have only really seen them in more romantic and comedic roles.
Dynevor’s character made me deeply unsettled, with her quick side glances and attempts to manipulate other characters. She also delved into the feeling of being trapped by something she created, as she gradually expressed brief moments of regret.
Deutch, on the other hand, beautifully portrayed someone experiencing grief who was slowly losing pieces of herself within her marriage.
O’Brien had a perturbing performance. It was quite different to see him as a more antagonistic character, rather than the explicit hero, and I enjoyed his portrayal of a character drifting from his family and falling down a path that the rest of his family refused to follow.
There were many call-backs and a lot of symbolism throughout the movie, which made sense for a movie that was meant to be political commentary. From on-the-nose comments such as “When did this house become a fascist regime,” to more subtle moments, such as Liz telling Birdie that scientists aren’t doing world-changing work, the social commentary shone through.
The movie also seemed to be full circle, starting at the Taylor parents’ 25th anniversary and ending at their 30th with Liz in nearly the same place she began.
Although the movie didn’t have explicit jumpscares or drastic thriller-like action, the political and social commentary alone makes it worth the watch, and may honestly make its story more scary than any fictional monsters.