Trailer Blitz: Anemone, Hedda, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey and The Mastermind
Time to catch up on this week's movie trailers!
★ “Anemone” Trailer: Daniel Day-Lewis Breaks His Silence After Seven Years in Ronan Day-Lewis’s Haunting Drama with Sean Bean and Samantha Morton — In Theaters October 3rd, Nationwide on Oct. 10th
So, what’s in a name?
Anemone is a new drama that marks the long-awaited return of three-time Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis, who hasn’t been seen on screen since Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1950s dressmaker drama Phantom Thread. Released back in 2017, that film was meant to be Day-Lewis’s swan song, with the actor publicly stating he would retire from acting, instead choosing a life with his family and away from the spotlight of Hollywood. For seven years, it seemed he would keep to that promise—until word spread that he would, in fact, be returning this year with Anemone.
But the question is, what does Anemone actually mean? Well, the definition is simply a delicate, colorful flower, often symbolic of fragility, anticipation, and the fleeting nature of life. There’s another related definition: the sea anemone, a marine creature often mistaken for a flower, which is commonly found as a host for small fish and other sea life. These “sea creatures” also carry a symbolic meaning tied to death or loss, embodying the fragile coexistence between survival and sacrifice.
Not to harp too much on the symbolic nature of a movie title, but when an actor like Daniel Day-Lewis is involved, stepping back from semi-retirement, we can’t help but try to understand why. Well, an obvious reason is that the film is directed by his son, Ronan Day-Lewis, making his feature film debut. Daniel Day-Lewis also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Ronan, making this a true family affair.
And to be quite honest, our initial reaction upon hearing that Daniel Day-Lewis would make his long-awaited comeback in his son’s debut film was one of doubt. We questioned if the project would actually turn out to be any good. But now, judging by the film’s first official trailer, we are stunned by the gorgeous symbolic visuals of a film that appears not only to be a labor of love but also a meditation on isolation, regret, and the fractures of a broken family.
Here, Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Ray Stoker, a former member of “the phantom soldiers,” a secretive undercover ghost unit likely tied to the British Royal Engineers during the time of the Irish Troubles. Because the plot details are being kept so close to the chest, one could surmise that Ray endured deeply traumatic and painful experiences during his service, leading him to abandon everything and retreat into near-total isolation in the woods for twenty years.
Ray's solitary existence is disrupted, however, when his brother and former soldier mate, played by Sean Bean, shows up unannounced after decades apart with a request that has yet to be revealed. With visual cues of white anemone flowers and metaphorical imagery of a sea creature—a giant-sized fish—drifting through a river, we can only assume that the arrival of Ray's brother can mean a reckoning with Ray’s past and the inevitability of confronting what he has long tried to escape from.
Also starring Samantha Morton, Anemone is slated to make its world premiere next month in September at the New York Film Festival, before opening in limited release on October 3rd, followed by a nationwide release on October 10th.
★ “Hedda” Trailer: Tessa Thompson Seduces and Destroys in Nia DaCosta’s Reimagining of Classic Tragedy Play with Imogen Poots, Tom Bateman and Nina Hoss — Premiering October 29th on Prime Video
How do you prefer Tessa Thompson? As the soulful, supportive heart in Creed, the sharp-witted Asgardian warrior in Thor, or the calculating power player in Westworld?
Yes. She surely can play many shades of human nature. Whether it’s tender, tough, or downright terrifying, Tessa Thompson might just be the perfect actress to take on a role of this magnitude: Hedda Gabler. And this just might be the Tessa Thompson we prefer: sexy, seductive, and dangerously manipulative.
In this reimagining of the classic 1891 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, Thompson stars as Hedda Gabler, the brilliant yet destructive daughter of a general. Bored and bitterly discontent in her new marriage, and feeling caged by society’s expectations, Hedda turns herself into an agent of chaos, manipulating the lives of everyone around her—culminating in a single night that spirals toward a shocking and tragic conclusion.
Set over the course of a lavish dinner party where all the key players of high society have gathered under one roof, Hedda tries to pull the strings from behind the table, steering conversations and secrets toward inevitable ruin. Seduction, betrayal, scandal, secrets, and lies... and an unlocked gun all mix together into the intoxicating cocktail of a night gone disastrously wrong.
Hedda is written and directed by filmmaker Nia DaCosta, reuniting with Thompson after her breakout 2018 feature debut Little Woods. Since then, DaCosta has helmed the 2021 Candyman remake and Marvel’s 2023 installment The Marvels. She is also currently finishing up work on the upcoming horror sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, set to open in January.
In addition to Tessa Thompson, the film also stars Imogen Poots, Tom Bateman, Nicholas Pinnock, Kathryn Hunter, and Nina Hoss.
Hedda will make its world premiere next month at the Toronto International Film Festival before opening in select theaters on October 22nd. It will then be available to stream exclusively on Prime Video starting October 29th.
★ “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” New Trailer: Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie Step Through a Red Door to Rewrite the Past in Kogonada’s Romance Fantasy — In Theaters September 19th
Earlier this week, we saw Colin Farrell descending into utter chaos as a self-destructive drunken gambler in the first trailer for the upcoming Netflix noir Ballad of a Small Player, arriving in October. Now, if your speed is less personal despair and more romantic fantasy... well, Colin Farrell has you covered too. This time, he’s aiming to tug at your heartstrings as he joins Margot Robbie on A Big Bold Beautiful Journey!
Farrell gives in to the classic leading man trope of becoming the charming, lovestruck dreamer swept up in romance. And who can blame him? He gets to fall in love with Margot Robbie! Where some love stories begin with a bouquet of roses, this one begins with a mysterious red door... and a leap back through time, where sharing personal memories becomes the very foundation of this romance between two strangers throwing caution to the wind.
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Kogonada (After Yang), A Big Bold Beautiful Journey casts Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell as Sarah and David, who meet randomly at a wedding party and are soon whisked into a surreal dream world where fate has led them to a strange portal in the middle of nowhere. It’s a red doorway that opens to a pivotal memory from their past.
For David, it’s a missed chance at young love during a high school musical. For Sarah, it’s the moment she never got to fully say goodbye to her mother. Each portal forces them to confront regrets, rewrite old wrongs, and discover whether love can truly bridge time and memory.
Blending whimsical romance with existential wonder, the film asks the ultimate what-if: if you could revisit the past, would you change it? Or better yet, what would you do differently if you could go back?
With a supporting cast that also includes Lily Rabe, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Kevin Kline, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Billy Magnussen, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is set to open in theaters September 19th—and just might make you believe in second chances all over again.
★ “The Mastermind” Trailer: Josh O’Connor Leads a Double Life as a 1970s Art Thief in Kelly Reichardt’s Smoky Period Drama with Bill Camp and Hope Davis — In Theaters October 17th
Okay. What do you say about this combination: Kelly Reichardt, Josh O’Connor, and a 1970s art thief! Now, that sounds like a fascinating mix, right?
For over 20 years, filmmaker Kelly Reichardt has built a small but powerful body of work defined by quiet intensity, patient observation, and characters caught in the delicate tension between desire and restraint. One could describe her style as minimalistic and voyeuristic, capturing the lives of small Pacific Northwestern towns and working-class bohemians.
So color us surprised when her latest film The Mastermind turns out to be a period drama set in the 1970s, revolving around an unassuming suburban family man who secretly leads a double life as an art thief—operating right under the nose of his unsuspecting, blue-collar parents.
Perhaps the thing that raised our eyebrows the most is the appearance of Josh O’Connor, the breakout British actor of The Crown and Challengers, who has slowly been building up his reputation as one of the most versatile actors of his generation. And with his lead performance in this film already winning accolades, O’Connor could be on the road to cementing his status as a true awards-season contender.
Written and directed by Reichardt, and shot with a smoky, nostalgic 1970s aesthetic, the film casts O’Connor as James Blaine Mooney, a soft-spoken crook who convinces his family he’s working a steady job to provide for his children, while secretly scheming a daring plan to rob a local art museum. But when his plan catches the ear of local thugs, he soon finds himself racing against time to pull off the heist before his quiet double life unravels completely. And as the complications pile up, he’s forced to realize that he isn’t the mastermind he thought he was.
Also starring Bill Camp, Hope Davis, Alana Haim, Gaby Hoffmann, John Magaro, and Rhenzy Feliz, The Mastermind is slated to open in theaters October 17th via MUBI.
