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As another holiday season approaches, many people around the country are preparing for strained gatherings with family members. The tight-knit family in the political thriller Anniversary never thought that it would happen to them—but their once-strong bonds begin to crumble when a new political movement divides them.
Anniversary begins as the four Taylor children return home to celebrate their parents’ 25th anniversary. Ellen and Paul (Diane Lane and Kyle Chandler) spend the evening surrounded by friends and family—but one guest puts a damper on the evening. The couple’s son, Josh (Dylan O’Brien), has brought his new girlfriend, Liz (Phoebe Dynevor), one of Ellen’s former students. Liz’s controversial political views have led her to become a key figure in a new movement called The Change. And as the movement becomes more and more powerful, Liz’s views create tension within the once close-knit family.
From one family gathering to another, the dynamics of the Taylor family change drastically. Josh joins Liz in working for the Cumberland Company—the organization promoting The Change—and both become more and more outspoken about the movement. Whenever the family tries to reunite, the other family members struggle to refrain from discussing what they see as the couple’s anti-democratic viewpoints in the name of family harmony. But the tensions only build as the different family members’ jobs and relationships are affected by the movement’s growing control over the country.
For many viewers, the Taylor family’s story will hit painfully close to home. It’s a terrifying cautionary tale of a psychological thriller following the family through years of conflict and trials as this dangerous political movement grows in power. And maybe it’s even a little too timely. The focus here isn’t on the movement itself—the political parts mostly play out in the background, and all viewers really learn about it is through the family’s experiences and opinions. The focus, then, is more on how the ideology tears the family apart, as seen through the changes in their relationships from one family event to the next. It’s a heartbreaking story that will hit hard in the end.
Of course, right now, many families are living through a story just like this one—and, if you are, this film might be a little too painful to watch. But it does offer an intriguing take on how today’s politics can deeply affect so much more than just the policies that govern the country.
You can sit down for a tense dinner with the Taylors when Anniversary arrives in theaters on October 29, 2025.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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