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Synopsis: “Tensions rise and loyalties are tested when a couple meet their son’s new girlfriend, a radical young woman who’s part of a controversial movement known as the Change.”

Anniversary doesn’t reveal all its cards right away, and it’s better for it. A thriller that begins rather pensive, with a celebration of a long-loving marriage, slowly breaks down into a political drama that hits close to home. Director Jan Komasa shines a spotlight on extreme radicalism and how it seeps into all aspects of life and culture. Stacked with a cast that balances fear with genuine, heartfelt family moments well, their ability to build tension culminates in one of the most surprising films of the year.

Audiences are thrown into Anniversary as it introduces a family from all walks of life, while all still being close with their strong relationships with one another. There’s the head of the house, Ellen (Diane Lane), a prominent liberal professor who’s married to restaurateur foodie Paul (Kyle Chandler). Their 25th wedding anniversary brings their children home for a weekend celebration. Their family is large, with environmentalist Cynthia (Zoey Deutch) and her partner Rob (Daryl McCormack), an out and proud queer comedian, Anna (Madeline Brewer), their writer brother Josh (Dylan O’Brien) and his ambitious new girlfriend Liz (Phoebe Dynevor), and finally, the youngest and highly intelligent Birdie (Mckenna Grace).

From the moment Lane’s radiantly confident Ellen hits the screen, there’s no doubt that remains on who is in charge of her household. Holding lectures, appearing on talk shows, and guiding her children towards success. Their family is charming at first, but as the party goes on more is revealed about the dynamic in the home. Ellen allows her children to be themselves and encourages their interests, like Birdie’s love for science. But when Josh introduces his new girlfriend Liz to Ellen and Paul, it’s not the first time Ellen has met Liz. A former student of hers, with their previous encounters being contentious, Liz’s new ideology roots America in change, moving to a singular political power and political party, taking extreme measures to get those under its ideal to convert.

Liz took her college ideas and implemented them into the real world through literature, making her own book that has gained a cult-like following. She is the opposite of Ellen not just in their political leanings, but Liz is young and dresses in a more conservative styling, wearing reds and her hair tightly pulled into a bun. While Ellen is an older woman, who is still beautiful in her maturity, loosely waved hair framing her kind face. Their friction is uncomfortable, with Ellen warning her son of the potential issues that could arise for their family with her around. Anniversary starts out on uneven footing, but once Liz begins to wrap Josh into her ideals, there’s no turning back for their family.

What Komasa and writer Lori Rosene-Gambino manage to convey with Anniversary is a rather chilling. Showing extremism the way that is often referred to by the perpetrators as fear mongering. That what might start out as an innocent movement to better society is masking hateful rhetoric. Abusive tactics are used to gain members, mostly through humiliation of their private lives and hunting targets into hiding. And when these kinds of movements gain a following, their voices are louder than those they claim are in power. Anniversary shows an America that has fallen to a singular ideology out of fear and pressure to conform.

While the themes of Anniversary are heavy-handed, it’s effective because of the film’s well-lauded cast. Their ability to convey a script that is often on the nose with its dialogue. Liz is a classic conservative woman, disguising her disgust with opposing views with fake smiles and Bible jargon. But outside of her political leanings, there’s not much to her that makes her a compelling villain, choosing to let Josh be the one who takes over as the head of their movement. In return, the film frames her as someone to feel bad for; it’s ineffective given all that she has done to that point. And as scary as the reality of something like this happening in the world is, it’s rare that the family has conversations with their fellow neighbors discussing the world outside of their immediate family, making the film’s scope feel rather small.

Lane leads the film not only with her character but her performance is the one that stands out the most. Her ability to play a woman close to her convictions but willing to do what she must for her children leads to many of the film’s best scenes. While Ellen and her family are seated at the kitchen table for Thanksgiving, the tension between each member can be felt, especially when Liz is around. When their conversations become heated, Lane captures the fiery nature of a mother who wants to save her children from being used for harmful matters. Chandler has wonderful chemistry with Lane, making the film’s outcome hit emotional chords that are desperately needed. Deutch, O’Brien, Grace, and McCormack have a closeness with their shared sibling moments, making their growing distance as the film goes on that much more heartbreaking.

Admittedly, Anniversary wasn’t on my radar for the year, as the film comes across as a film that a few years ago would’ve gotten put on streaming with little fanfare. But it’s a story that feels urgent, with its unevenness and all, stumbling through its script as the world is currently scrambling to hold itself together. Its wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing approach to extreme pipeline personalities and its relatability to today’s version of America make it one of this year’s most surprising films. It would work even better with a wider range of diverse faces, showing how extreme views harm different demographics in varying ways.

While it might strike nerves of those it’s putting under a magnifying glass, Anniversary will leave a lingering pit within audiences’ stomachs at a bleak view of a future that feels alarmingly close.

Rating: 3.5/5

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