In the hauntingly beautiful and rugged woodlands of Northern England, a man named Jim embarks on a journey he has avoided for decades. His destination is not a place, but a person: his estranged older brother, Jem, who has lived as a hermit in the woods since a traumatic, life-altering event shattered their family and their bond. Jim carries the weight of their shared past like a stone in his pocket, a burden that has shaped his entire adult life and now compels him to seek out the one person who remembers the truth.

This is a slow-burning, profoundly character-driven drama about the landscapes we inhabit to escape our memories and the difficult paths we must walk to confront them. As Jim delves deeper into the woods, the lines between the present and the past begin to blur. The brothers are forced to navigate a thicket of resentment, guilt, and unspoken grief, where the simple act of reconnection feels as perilous and uncertain as the wilderness surrounding them.

Anemone: Meet the Cast

– Daniel Day-Lewis as Ray

In his highly anticipated return to the screen, the legendary Daniel Day-Lewis delivers what is sure to be a masterful performance as Ray, the pivotal figure from the brothers’ past. Day-Lewis embodies a man forever marked by the central, life-altering event that fractured the family. His character is the ghost that haunts both Jim and Jem, the living memory of the incident that sent them on their separate, lonely paths. Day-Lewis’s unparalleled commitment to character will undoubtedly bring a profound depth and haunting presence to the role, making every flashback a devastating glimpse into the origin of the brothers’ trauma.

Day-Lewis’s Ray is the emotional anchor of the film’s non-linear narrative. His interactions with the younger versions of the brothers, portrayed by Sid Akbar and Samuel Bottomley, will form the tragic heart of the story. Whether he is a father, an uncle, or a close family friend, his actions decades prior cast a long shadow, and Day-Lewis will masterfully convey the weight of a single moment that can alter the course of multiple lives forever.

– Sean Bean as Jem

Sean Bean brings his rugged, world-weary intensity to the role of Jem, the older brother who has chosen a life of complete isolation in the woods. Bean portrays Jem as a man who has physically carved out his existence away from society, his exterior as hardened as the northern landscape he calls home. Beneath the gruff, survivalist exterior, however, lies a deep well of pain and a fierce, if buried, loyalty to the brother he hasn’t seen in years. Bean makes Jem’s initial resistance to Jim’s visit feel like a defense mechanism built over a lifetime.

Bean’s performance is a powerful study in contained emotion. His scenes with Sid Akbar will be charged with a complex history, as every glance and tersely spoken word carries the weight of decades of silence and separation. Jem’s journey is one of reluctantly unearthing the past he worked so hard to bury, and Bean ensures that his character’s vulnerability, when it finally breaks through, is both shocking and deeply moving.

– Sid Akbar as Jim

Sid Akbar delivers a breakthrough performance as Jim, the brother who ventures into the wilderness to bridge a chasm of time and trauma. Akbar portrays Jim with a palpable sense of apprehension and desperate hope, a man driven by an urgent need for closure that outweighs his fear of what he might find. His character is the audience’s conduit into this fractured relationship, and Akbar masterfully conveys the emotional toll of confronting a past that has defined him from a distance.

Akbar’s chemistry with Sean Bean is the engine of the film. He embodies the younger sibling dynamic—a mix of residual admiration, lingering resentment, and a love that never fully extinguished. As Jim patiently works to break through Jem’s defenses, Akbar reveals the strength and resilience required to be the one who seeks healing, even when it means reopening old wounds. His journey is a quiet, powerful arc of courage and reconciliation.

– Samuel Bottomley as Brian

Samuel Bottomley appears as Brian, the younger version of one of the brothers or a key figure from their youth whose presence is central to the film’s defining traumatic event. Bottomley brings a raw, youthful innocence to the flashback sequences, creating a stark contrast to the haunted men the characters become. His performance will capture the unguarded moment before their lives were irrevocably changed, making the tragedy that unfolds all the more poignant.

Bottomley’s role is crucial in illustrating the weight of memory that burdens Jim and Jem in the present day. His interactions with a younger Jem (likely played by another actor) and Daniel Day-Lewis’s Ray will form the emotional core of the film’s past narrative. He represents the lost innocence and the “what could have been” that both brothers have been mourning for decades.

– The Community: Lewis Ian Bray, Paul Butterworth, Karl Cam & JP Conway

The world surrounding the brothers is populated by a rich ensemble of characters. Lewis Ian Bray as Poacher 2 and Richard Graham as Poacher 1 represent the external threats of the woods, men who operate outside the law and whose presence could disrupt the brothers’ fragile reunion. Paul Butterworth brings character to the role of Mr. Jarvis, perhaps a shopkeeper or a figure from the brothers’ hometown who represents the world they left behind.

Karl Cam as the Barman serves as a potential confidante or a source of local gossip for Jim upon his arrival, grounding the story in a specific Northern English community. JP Conway as Martin could be another local whose own story intersects with the brothers’ history, adding layers to the film’s exploration of how trauma ripples through a small, interconnected community.

– Angus Cooper as Jimbo

Angus Cooper appears as Jimbo, likely the childhood nickname for a younger version of Jim, portrayed in the film’s flashbacks. Cooper’s performance will be essential in showing the brothers’ relationship in its formative years, filled with camaraderie and the unbreakable bond that was later shattered. His scenes will provide the bittersweet foundation of the love that Jim is trying to rediscover.

– Adam Fogerty as Des

The formidable presence of Adam Fogerty is felt as Des, potentially a more threatening figure from the brothers’ past or a current resident of the area who complicates Jim’s mission. Fogerty’s physicality brings an element of tangible danger to the narrative. His character could be a catalyst that forces the brothers to finally confront their past and rely on each other in the present, testing their fledgling reconciliation in the face of a common threat.

Why Anemone Is a Must-Watch

• The Return of a Legend: Daniel Day-Lewis’s first film role in years is a major cinematic event.

• Powerhouse Performances: A stunning cast led by Day-Lewis and Sean Bean, delivering masterclasses in subtle, emotional acting.

• A Poignant Story: A deeply moving exploration of brotherhood, memory, and the long shadow of trauma.

• Atmospheric Direction: The Northern English landscape is a character in itself, adding a layer of majestic, haunting beauty to the intimate drama.

To Find His Brother, He Must First Find Their Past.

Anemone premieres in theaters October 3, 2025.