Daniel Day-Lewis emerges from retirement with ANEMONE, an Irish drama directed by his son Ronan that stands as one of the most quietly devastating films of the year. After walking away from acting in 2017, Day-Lewis returns with a performance so searingly intimate that it has immediately thrust him back into awards consideration, reminding audiences why his absence left such a void in cinema. This is not a comeback built on spectacle or noise, but on the kind of raw, unadorned humanity that only an actor of his caliber can summon.
ANEMONE unfolds as a meditation on isolation and the human cost of self-imposed exile. The film centers on Ray, a man who has spent years living alone on the fringes of society, and the small constellation of people whose lives orbit his absence. There’s Jem, whose curiosity about this reclusive figure drives much of the film’s gentle forward momentum, and Nessa, Ray’s former partner, who carries her heartbreak with a somber acceptance that never quite extinguishes hope. Then there’s Brian, their son, a young man consumed by rage at a father who chose to disappear, yet who still finds himself throwing punches to defend Ray’s name. The film lives in these contradictions, in the space between abandonment and loyalty, between judgment and grace.
What makes ANEMONE so achingly effective is how it understands that human connection isn’t just meaningful but necessary for survival itself. Brian’s fury masks a desperate need for the father who left him, and his volatile grief finds its only softening in the presence of Hattie, a friend whose quiet empathy breaks through his armor in one of the film’s most genuinely moving moments. Nessa, despite her pain, surrounds herself with others when catastrophe strikes in the form of a devastating hailstorm, finding strength in community even as she mourns what was lost. Jem approaches Ray with a faith that remains unshaken by the older man’s profanity and bitterness, refusing to surrender hope for someone most would have written off entirely.
At the film’s emotional core is Ray’s painful journey back to recognizing his own humanity. He committed an act so terrible that it drove him to the margins, an act the film reveals with devastating precision as it builds toward its climax. But ANEMONE understands that guilt itself is proof of humanity, that the very fact Ray is haunted by memory means he hasn’t abandoned his soul, only tried desperately to outrun it. This realization, when it finally arrives, is what propels him toward the meeting with Brian that the entire film has been moving toward. The ending is neither loud nor melodramatic, but it carries the weight of years of silence finally breaking. Day-Lewis plays these moments with such delicate restraint that you can feel the accumulated grief and longing in every glance, every hesitation. ANEMONE builds its power through imagery and theme rather than explanation, trusting its audience to feel what its characters cannot always articulate, and in doing so, it creates something genuinely heartwrenching.
✨ From years of hopeful texts to the role of a lifetime ✨
Now he`s playing Cillian Murphy`s son in PEAKY BLINDERS: THE IMMORTAL MAN and audiences are absolutely losing it over his performance.
Barry Keoghan opens up about what it took to land this dream role, reuniting with Cillian (they bonded on DUNKIRK).
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Cillian Murphy lit up LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS on THE IMMORTAL MAN promo tour.
Murphy talks about reprising his Peaky Blinders role and asking Barry Keoghan to play his son via a Father`s Day text!
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
She`s not just a talent—she`s rewriting the rules!
Irish cinema darling Saoirse Ronan just announced something that has the industry buzzing: THREE INCESTUOUS SISTERS, a gothic fever dream directed by Alice Rohrwacher and co-written by Ottessa Moshfegh.
Starring alongside Jessie Buckley for the first time, this Audrey Niffenegger adaptation promises psychological sabotage, dark fairy tales, and everything we didn`t know we needed.
More Saoirse at irishfilmtv.com.
Domhnall Gleeson is being honored with an Oscar Wilde Award!
Twenty years ago, a theater audience first glimpsed his gift. Today, his filmography reads like a masterclass in selecting roles that matter. HARRY POTTER. STAR WARS. THE REVENANT. ABOUT TIME. BROOKLYN. CATASTROPHE.
More Domhnall at irishfilmtv.com.
✦ EXCLUSIVE INTEL FOR THE INITIATED ✦
Steven Knight just gave us the inside scoop. Before THE IMMORTAL MAN drops Mar 6, there are three episodes every true fan needs to re-watch.
These aren`t random picks—they`re the episodes that define Tommy Shelby`s entire journey. The moment that reveals who he really is. The turning point where he chooses life. The goodbye that haunts every frame before his return.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
BAFTA winner. Red carpet royalty. 🎬
Fresh off her latest accolade, Jessie Buckley hone at the World Premiere of THE BRIDE!
Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and starring Buckley alongside Christian Bale, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Penélope Cruz, this is the gothic crime romance you didn`t know you needed.
Arriving in cinemas March 6. ✨
WALK THE BLUE FIELDS is adapting Claire Keegan`s devastating short story into a film that`s already drawing serious talent including Andrew Scott (FLEABAG, RIPLEY), Emily Blunt (OPPENHEIMER) and Ciarán Hinds (IS THIS THING ON?)
Set in Ireland, this is a romance about impossible choices, buried secrets, and the moment everything changes.
Link in bio to read more about what promises to be one of the year`s most emotionally powerful films.
One week. Two brothers. One dead. But which one?
THE UNDERTOW is the psychological thriller that will have you questioning everything—and everyone.
Jamie Dornan delivers a career-defining dual performance as identical twins Adam and Lee, embodying two completely different men while suggesting the psychological unraveling beneath.
More Jamie at irishfilmtv.com.
Colin Farrell`s THE SLIGHTEST TOUCH is a documentary about friendship, resilience, and refusing to accept limitations.
It`s the story of two people who`ve built their lives around each other, and one extraordinary day that proves what`s possible when someone truly shows up for you.
Directed by Rachel Fleit (BAMA RUSH), the film premieres at the 2026 Dublin International Film Festival before coming to HBO and HBO Max globally later this year.
More Colin at irishfilmtv.com.
