Anniversary – Movie Review (5/5)

ANNIVERSARY is a new Psychological Thriller that plays out like a scary cautionary tale with a brilliant ensemble cast. It reminded me of the amazing HBO & BBC limited series Years and Years, which I cannot recommend enough. Read our full Anniversary (2025) movie review here!

ANNIVERSARY is a Psychological Thriller out in theaters. At first, it may seem like just another family drama. However, trust me, before it’s all over, we’re in a dystopian future that even features a few sci-fi elements. Well, close to our present world, but even worse.

As I was watching this, it felt strangely familiar. It’s because it feels like a condensed version of the Russell T. Davies limited series Years & Years, which was a BBC and HBO co-production. That one featured a stellar UK cast; this movie has an equally amazing US cast.

Continue reading our Anniversary (2025) movie review below. Find it in theaters from October 29, 2025.

A country torn apart by politics

Before I say anything else, I have to highlight the fact that Anniversary definitely hits a little close to home. Okay, way too close. It’s essentially about a family torn apart by political affiliations, but taken to sinister extremes. The kind of extremes we know from 1930s Germany.

In Anniversary, we meet a loving and close-knit family caught in the turmoil of a controversial rising movement. This movement is political in concept, but plays out almost like a cult. It’s known as “The Change” and will soon sweep the nation.

Before we get that far, we’re at the 25th wedding anniversary of Ellen and Paul Taylor (Diane Lane and Kyle Chandler). This is also the night when the beginning of the end of the world, as they know it, essentially happens.

Religion, business, or just a cult?!

The source of this downfall is Ellen’s former student, Liz (Phoebe Dynevor), who reappears in her life after a rather dramatic exit years earlier. Ellen was nervous about the ideology Liz was promoting in her thesis. Well, now Liz is back and dating their son (Dylan O’Brien).

Also, she has released a book titled “The Change”, which is the thesis Ellen was so terrified of. As Liz becomes a part of the Taylor family, it may seem like a family drama, but I assure you, the psychological thriller element is more than “just” personal issues.

Liz’s role in the political wave known as “The Change” is key to how events unfold. Strangely, this whole movement is being run by a corporation. Soon, it will bring simmering conflicts to the boiling point. Not just for the Taylor family, but for the entire nation.

We see these conflicts and changes evolve with an eerily rapid pace as the family comes together for other anniversaries. Hence, the title of Anniversary.

The brilliant casting of Anniversary

Despite the story playing out over just five years, we will see the characters evolve (some grow, others fall apart) in extreme ways. In order for this to come across as unrealistic or dramatic in a forced way, you need a cast that can carry this.

With Anniversary, we’re getting a brilliant cast led by Diane Lane (Y: The Last Man) and Kyle Chandler (Back in Action) as the heads of the Taylor family. And, of course, we have Dylan O’Brien (Caddo Lake) and Phoebe Dynevor (Fair Play) as those in charge of the future.

Also in the family, as daughters in the Taylor household, are Anna, Cynthia, and Birdie. Portrayed by Madeline Brewer (Cam), Zoey Deutch (Juror #2), and Mckenna Grace (Ghostbusters), respectively.

They are three very different daughters, who each have a sense of direction and obvious talents. Something the lone son in the family (portrayed by Dylan O’Brien) never had. Maybe that’s why he finally has a sense of purpose as part of The Change, which is led by his wife.

If you’ve ever read The Wave or watched any of the film adaptations of it, you will recognize this mechanism. It’s how so many young people are radicalized: The need to belong!

Ultimately, Anniversary is very much about Ellen and Liz, and Diane Lane and Phoebe Dynevor deliver breathtaking performances. Also, at times, downright terrifying!

Watch the 2025 Anniversary movie in theaters!

Jan Komasa is the director of Anniversary. We’ve reviewed one of Jan Komasa’s previous movies with the Polish 2020 psychological thriller The Hater. One I highly recommend checking out as well, and his style is apparent in both Anniversary and The Hater.

Another of his previous movies, Corpus Christi, was nominated for an Academy Award® for best international feature film, so he has already proven his talent. Apparently, inspiration for this movie came from looking at Christmas pictures of his own large family, and noticing changes in people over the years.

DO NOT MISS OUT ON…

Again, if you liked the Years and Years series (we gave it a top rating), then you cannot miss out on Anniversary. And vice versa. I cannot recommend either enough.

This new 2025 psychological thriller has also been called a “social apocalypse seen from the perspective of one family” by writer-director Jan Komasa. A description that makes perfect sense to me, having watched it.

Credit is certainly also due for the screenwriter: Lori Rosene-Gambino. She has scripts on the film industry’s coveted Black List, which are movies that should be made (because they are so good), but have yet to be produced.

Well, maybe someone will finally jump at the chance. If Anniversary is indicative of her talent (and according to director Jan Komasa, it is), then I cannot wait to see what Lori Rosene-Gambino does next!

ANNIVERSARY will be released in theaters on October 29, 2025.

Details

Director: Jan Komasa
Screenplay: Lori Rosene-Gambino
Story: Jan Komasa and Lori Rosene-Gambino
Cast: Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler, Madeline Brewer, Zoey Deutch, Phoebe Dynevor, Mckenna Grace, Daryl McCormack, Dylan O’Brien