Anemone marks the directorial debut of Ronan Day-Lewis and the long-awaited return of his father, Daniel Day-Lewis, to the big screen, starring opposite Sean Bean. The film tells the story of Ray Stoker (Daniel Day-Lewis), a reclusive man drawn out of isolation when his estranged brother (Bean) arrives with the troubling news of Ray’s teenage son spiraling out of control. What follows is a tense family reckoning steeped in guilt, silence, and the fragile hope of redemption.

As debuts go, Ronan Day-Lewis certainly takes risks and he deserves credit for not playing it safe. Too many first-time directors lean toward forgettable caution, and Anemone swings for something ambitious. For me, however, those risks don’t fully pay off. There are flashes of promise, but the execution falls short of the film’s aspirations.

Unsurprisingly, Daniel Day-Lewis is magnetic in his return, commanding every scene he shares with Sean Bean. Together they elevate the material, and in their strongest moments, Anemone is gripping. But those performances can’t completely mask the weaknesses in the script. The story struggles to land any truly resonant emotional beats, leaving much of it feeling shallow despite the heavy subject matter.

The film also leans heavily on silence and visual stillness, but instead of conveying depth, many of these moments drag into monotony. At two hours, stretches of the runtime feel more like a slog than a meditation, which will likely test the patience of mainstream audiences.

In the end, Anemone is a bold but uneven debut. Ronan Day-Lewis shows ambition and flashes of talent, but the film’s impact rests almost entirely on the shoulders of its stars. Thanks to Daniel Day-Lewis and Sean Bean, it isn’t without merit, but as a whole, it ultimately falls short of the profound drama it aims to be.