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The psychological drama film, released on October 3, 2025, Anemone marks the return of actor Daniel Day-Lewis after his retirement. It is directed by his son Ronan Day-Lewis, who co-wrote the film with the returning actor. The film features Daniel Day-Lewis as the troubled hermit Ray Stoker, Sean Bean as his brother Jem, and Samantha Morton as Nessa Stoker, among other cast members.
The story revolves around Ray, a former British military man from the Troubles who has spent decades in a harsh, self-imposed exile in the isolated woodlands of Northern England as a result of a grave trauma. His isolation is broken when his brother, Jem, tracks him down with a letter from Nessa, Ray's former lover and the mother of his estranged, now-adult son, Brian, who is facing a personal crisis.
Jem desperately attempts to convince Ray to confront his past and reconnect with his son to prevent history from repeating itself. During the conclusion of Anemone, Ray ultimately unburdened himself to Jem, tearfully confessing the traumatic event that led to his exile: shooting an unarmed, mortally wounded apprentice bomb-maker during the Troubles.
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Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers about the film: Viewer's discretion advised.
Anemone ending explained: The truth behind Ray’s sin and his reunion with his son
Anemone focuses almost exclusively on Ray Stoker (Daniel Day-Lewis), a cynical and isolationist man who has been living in self-imposed exile in the remote northern English wilderness for twenty years. Ray’s banishment is rooted in a devastating trauma from his past as a British soldier during The Troubles in Northern Ireland.
The story begins when Ray's brother, Jem, enters his isolated life. Jem tries to persuade Ray to return and stop his adult son Brian (Samuel Bottomley), whom Ray has never met, from reliving the violent and angry cycles of the Stoker family. For much of the film, Ray's narrative is one of fiery hostility and defensive silence. Ranting about religion, family, and their own father's cruelty, Ray tries to push Jem away.
Overwhelmed by his brother's unspoken, relentless support, Ray eventually confesses to the incident that led to his exile and self-loathing: he shot an unarmed, dying young IRA aspiring bomb maker. Ray argues the act was one of pity to end the young man's suffering. But the uncertainty haunts him, making it impossible for him to decide whether the killing was motivated by cruelty, necessity, or mercy.
This admission marks the pinnacle of the film's emotional tension; it is the moment Ray stops running and accepts the full moral burden of his past, thereby breaking down his carefully built wall of cynicism. Shortly after that, the Anemone narrative shifts into an abstract, almost biblical tone with the onset of a massive, sudden hailstorm. This event acts as an overwhelming physical manifestation of Ray's internal reckoning.
It is represented as a force of elemental nature washing away the conflict between the brothers, but also as a warning to Ray: his attempt to live outside the messy, interconnected world of humanity will eventually reduce him to an isolated, forgotten corpse, like the giant fish Ray later discovers killed by the storm. This realization highlights how crucial it is to get back in touch with the human world he left behind.
Having confessed his sin and survived the metaphorical storm, Ray accepts Jem's request to return. The final scene of Anemone depicts Ray finally meeting his son in person. This meeting is deliberately not shown in detail, prioritizing the weight of the moment over dramatic effect. Ray appears vulnerable and calm, having shed the ferocious anger that had been his defense mechanism.
His acceptance of responsibility is evident in his willingness to confront his child, who embodies the future Ray attempted to avoid. The conclusion of Ray's story is one of hard-won, fragile hope since it involves the decision to quit his cycle of self-punishment and begin the complex process of familial healing rather than the elimination of his pain.
Anemone was released on October 3, 2025. Stay tuned for more updates.
