Movie review
October 29, 2025 · 111 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The movie follows a close-knit liberal family in Washington D.C. over five years starting at the parents’ 25th anniversary party. The son brings home his new girlfriend Liz, a former student of the professor mother who once challenged her radical anti-democracy ideas in class. Liz promotes a book that launches “The Change,” a movement that grows into an authoritarian regime, dividing the country and destroying the family through job losses, violence, betrayals, and arrests. The story includes a lesbian stand-up comedian daughter who faces attacks for mocking the movement and an environmental lawyer daughter amid the political collapse.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Anniversary.
Woke representation / casting
The film features a lesbian stand-up comedian as one of the adult children and an environmental lawyer as another daughter in the central family. These roles add some visible diversity in lifestyle and profession but do not dominate the casting or appear as forced identity signaling or quotas. The lead roles and overall ensemble follow typical prestige drama patterns without heavy emphasis on race or gender-based competence mismatches.
Woke political dialogue
Political conversations and scenes focus on the dangers of an authoritarian movement that suppresses dissent, cancels academics, and attacks free speech, while showing liberal characters suffering job losses and family rifts. The dialogue critiques one-party rule and corporate influence but stays within broad anti-tyranny themes rather than pushing specific modern identity or DEI talking points.
Identity-driven story themes
The main narrative follows how political ideology and revenge destroy family bonds and democratic norms over time. A lesbian character’s comedy career and personal life intersect with the regime’s crackdowns, but identity issues like sexuality or gender do not drive the plot or messaging. Themes center on loyalty, power, and societal collapse instead.
Western institutional / cultural critique
The story depicts the breakdown of democratic institutions, free expression in comedy and academia, and family structures under a rising authoritarian regime with corporate ties. It warns about how ordinary people enable or suffer from such changes in contemporary America. Portrays right-wing populist movement as fascist threat undermining democracy and free speech.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Viewers and online discussions have criticized the film as left-leaning propaganda that portrays right-wing or populist ideas as leading directly to fascism and family destruction. Some called out its bias and exaggeration of conservative threats, contributing to the studio’s decision for limited release and marketing amid fears of polarized reactions.
Creator track record context
Director Jan Komasa brings experience with stories of authoritarian control and social fracture drawn from Eastern European history, showing consistent interest in power and belief systems without identity politics focus. Co-writer Lori Rosene-Gambino adds social commentary to narratives. Other producers show minimal public records of activist or woke-oriented work.
Production
