Jan Komasa\u2019s \u201cAnniversary\u201d unfolds in what he calls a \u201cnightmare scenario\u201d of parasitic ideological invasion. The film, out Oct. 29, tracks one family, the Taylors, as they convene at five gatherings across multiple years, revealing how time and political differences corrode their relationships. Part tragedy, part political thriller, and fully brutal, \u201cAnniversary\u201d is another remarkable achievement from Komasa, whose 2019 drama \u201cCorpus Christi\u201d earned an Oscar nomination for best international feature film, cementing his status as one of Poland\u2019s most visionary directors. Aspiring filmmakers hoping to push artistic boundaries can learn much from his approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Komasa borrowed from theatrical structure to encourage viewers to excavate the liminal spaces in between the family\u2019s events, during which the Taylors\u2014Ellen (Diane Lane) and Paul (Kyle Chandler), and their children, Josh (Dylan O\u2019Brien), Anna (Madeline Brewer), Cynthia (Zoey Deutch), and Birdie (Mckenna Grace)\u2014contend with Josh\u2019s girlfriend, Liz (Phoebe Dynevor), Ellen\u2019s former student whose radical ideology threatens to unravel their relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt started with my idea of trying to make a film about a group of people that we observe over the years without any context, just [jumping] from one year to another without knowing what\u2019s going on between years,\u201d he explains. \u201cAnd it came to me through theater experience. [In plays, it] always fascinated me that people leave the room for a break, and they come back after the first act, second act, etc., and it\u2019s the same room, [and] the same or almost the same group of people\u2014but it\u2019s a year later, and nobody talks about what happened during the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t make it easier for the audience and don\u2019t overexplain everything, it [creates] a fascinating dynamic\u2014to see them coming up with their own ideas of what really happened,\u201d Komasa continues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This philosophy drives the entire film. Co-written by Komasa and Lori Rosene-Gambino, the thriller jumps from one event to the next without overt exposition about the gaps between. Instead, \u201cAnniversary\u201d encourages viewers to become active participants and piece together what might have transpired in those missing years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n