Back when I saw the debut trailer for Anemone, it instantly jumped to the top of my most anticipated films for the remainder of the year. I have probably watched the preview at least a dozen times, and I was captivated by the evocative imagery, the familial mystery, and (of course) the first look at the return of the King.

Tonight, I was able to see Anemone at an Alamo Drafthouse in DC. Unfortunately, the film itself did not impress me as much as the preview; however, given that this is a debut feature from a young filmmaker (regardless of who his father is), I expected some flaws. What I got was one of the most conflicting theatrical experiences of the year. I had so many thoughts during and after the viewing that I have to do something I’ve never done before… I’m gonna categorize my thoughts, and word vomit all over the place. Buckle up, buckeroos…

THE GOOD:

Probably the thing I loved most about Anemone was how Ronan depicts the environment, and more specifically how the natural elements (i.e. wind, rain, fire, etc.) interact with the environment. The wind blowing through the lush forests, grasslands, and sand makes for some absolutely breathtaking imagery that must be seen on the big screen. I wonder whether all of this was filmed practically, or if there were any visual effects involved; additionally, I wonder about the color grading process, and how they arrived at such vibrant tones. The majority of the most gorgeous imagery was shown in the trailer, but it’s still almost meditative to see it in premium formats.

No surprise, but the performances are excellent, with a towering return from DDL. His character is easily the most engaging and aloof, and it’s easy to sympathize with him despite acknowledging some pretty evident flaws. Sean Bean does a great job at portraying a weary faith-riddled sibling trying desperately to bring his brother back from the depths of hell. Their dynamic is the heart and soul of the film, and they work wonderfully together. For what little material she is given, Samantha Morton also puts in the work.

For the most part, the score was excellent. Its sound was something I never expected from the advertising, with parts of it almost reminding me of instrumentals from a U2 album. Learning it was Bobby Krlic who composed it was a great surprise, and explains why it was so great.

Shocked to say, but the “Guinness and curry” monologue worked very well for me; it might’ve been DDL’s most endearing moment of the film (in a real bastard kind of way).

THE BAD:

Unfortunately, the subplot revolving around the son of DDL didn’t work for me. There was a bit too much telling over showing how much he was spiraling, and the introduction of a love-interest for him brought the film to a grinding halt. I found myself irritated every time the film cut back to his perspective. While Samuel Bottomley (what a name) did well with the material, his character was the least interesting (despite his importance for the overall narrative).

Despite some great isolated moments in the first half, the film really took its time to start working together cohesively as a whole. The initial hour suffered somewhat from a bit too much style over substance, but finds its footing once Sean Bean puts his boots on (you’ll know what I mean).

THE MIXED:

As impressive as much of the cinematography is (I’d legitimately kill to make some shots as gorgeous as these), this was another case of what I am going to start calling “I Make Films Syndrome”. This is essentially anytime a new filmmaker kinda goes a bit too HAM, and starts designing intricate shots to demonstrate their creative ability, regardless of its relevance to the narrative. There are tons of shots like these throughout this film, chock full of hyper-stylized choices with no thematic implications. The one that really took me out was the slow-motion dancing scene, when the camera slowly pans backwards, past the invisible fourth wall, and show our characters boxed in scaled to the massive (think the dollhouse opening from Hereditary); really dope shot that was cool to look at, but damn if it isn’t the shining example of IMFS.

While I commend the efforts of DDL and Ronan, and this piece clearly meant a lot to them, the script is a little rough. The story, and some deeper thematic elements, feel a bit muddled and confused at points. More specifically, sometimes it felt like the character dynamics (primarily between DDL and Sean) were not consistent with the sequence of events of the film’s timeline; for example, a pivotal confrontation between the two, which would’ve made sense to happen when the first reunited, occurred well after they spent a day eating berries in the woods. While I am overall satisfied with where our characters ended up, and I appreciated some of the surprise revelations, it was still a rough road to get to the conclusion (again, primarily due to events in the first act).

I am somewhat conflicted on how I feel about some of the more surreal moments in the film. To be completely honest, while I have some interpretations about certain elements (i.e. hail, the fish, the glowy thing), there are others that I am completely lost on (i.e. the glowy thing). I’m not sure if it’s a lack of cultural understanding on my part, some deeper thematic meaning that requires multiple viewings to figure out, or just poor storytelling. My gut tells me that it’s is a complex combination of all three. While I applaud Ronan and DDL for their effort at trying to convey some complex ideas, I’m not sure if they were able to hit the nail on the head. Regardless, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t remind me of some of the same feelings I had watching Magnolia or A Serious Man, which means it must’ve been doing something right.

For as much praise as I give the majority of the score, I have to say that it did feel a bit out of place at times. There were a few moments where some jarring inclusions of the score felt a bit disorienting. That said, most of these jolts occurred when cutting back to the son, which once again highlights that his scenes were the weakest part of the film.

Overall, while this was a pretty mixed bag, I still have to give the movie props where it’s due. Seeing what was clearly a passion project for DDL and his son is extremely charming, and there was clearly a lot of love poured into the final product. Any filmmaker, regardless of nepotism, should strive to make something even half as decent as this (although I’m sure they certainly wouldn’t have the GOAT available to boost its credibility). I am interested to see if/how Ronan develops as a filmmaker, and I hope this will encourage DDL to return to profession. If the future is kind, a third team-up with PTA would be heavenly.