Daniel Day-Lewis returns in Anemone, Ronan Day-Lewis directs at NYFF

Daniel Day-Lewis returned to the screen on Sept. 28, premiering Anemone, a new drama directed by his son Ronan Day-Lewis, at the New York Film Festival. The film, which the two men co-wrote, stars Day-Lewis as Ray Stoker, a reclusive former British soldier who has lived in isolation in the woods for two decades until his brother arrives to force a reckoning with a violent past.

Set in northern England in the late 1980s, Anemone follows Ray as he resists reintegration into family life while his brother Jem, played by Sean Bean, seeks to mend ruptures caused by Ray’s absence. Ray’s former lover Nessa and their son Brian figure into the story as the consequences of past trauma begin to surface. The script traces generational patterns of silence and violence, and the film uses austere visuals, closeups and an atmospheric score to underscore its themes.

The project marks Ronan Day-Lewis’s feature directorial debut and Daniel Day-Lewis’s first screen role since 2017. The elder actor retired after Phantom Thread but said he reversed that decision to collaborate with his son. Onstage at the festival, Ronan called the premiere "a privilege beyond words." Daniel described the experience...