Lionsgate’s Anniversary, directed by Jan Komasa, is a thriller that blends the intimate fractures of a family with the unsettling turbulence of a nation in crisis. Releasing on October 29, 2025, the film focuses on Ellen and Paul Taylor, played by Diane Lane and Kyle Chandler, a couple whose world begins to unravel when their past collides with their present. The disruption arrives in the form of Liz, Ellen’s former student, portrayed by Phoebe Dynevor, who unexpectedly becomes romantically involved with the Taylors’ son, played by Dylan O’Brien.
What should be a familiar family dynamic quickly spirals into conflict as Liz brings with her deep ties to a controversial new movement sweeping across the country, ominously referred to as “The Change.”
The brilliance of Anniversary lies in the way it takes something as relatable as family loyalty and tests it against forces much larger than any single household.
The cast amplifies this layered story with weight and urgency. Diane Lane and Kyle Chandler ground the film with their portrayal of parents watching the life they built slip away, while Phoebe Dynevor’s Liz complicates everything with both charisma and menace.
Dylan O’Brien adds vulnerability to the mix, caught between his parents’ world and Liz’s influence. Supporting performances by Madeline Brewer, Zoey Deutch, Mckenna Grace, and Daryl McCormack further widen the scope of the drama.
As Liz integrates herself into the Taylor family, unresolved tensions bubble to the surface, exposing cracks in trust and loyalty.
With Ellen torn between her maternal instincts and her history with Liz, and Paul struggling to hold on to stability as his home life begins to mirror the chaos outside, the family’s fate becomes inseparable from the greater uncertainty gripping the nation.
With Nick Wechsler, Steve Schwartz, Paula Mae Schwartz, and Kate Churchill producing, and Komasa’s reputation for crafting tense, socially conscious films, Anniversary is positioned to be more than just another thriller.
It’s a reflection of the fragility of trust in a world that feels increasingly unstable. By weaving political and cultural unrest into an intimate family drama, the film resonates with today’s anxieties while delivering a story that feels urgent, emotional, and uncomfortably real.
