A.L. Childers reviews the 2025 film Anniversary — a family drama turned ideological nightmare. A reflective, insightful critique exploring parenting, memory, generational trauma, and the diabolical unraveling of a family.
⭐ My Honest Review of “Anniversary” (2025)
By A.L. Childers
Let me start with this:
I didn’t hate it.
I didn’t love it.
But I definitely felt it — and not always in ways I expected.
At first, Anniversary introduces us to a wealthy family navigating old emotions and long-buried tensions. I actually understood a bit of where the mother was coming from — the distrust, the discomfort, the memory of a situation involving her son’s girlfriend nearly a decade earlier. But even then, I thought she was overreacting. Eight years is a long time to hold your breath.
As a mother myself who tries not to make waves with grown children, I understood the moment where everyone is trying to keep the peace — the father, the siblings, the “let’s just keep the table calm” energy.
And yet something felt off.
The whole family was moving as though the girlfriend was the problem, when she wasn’t really doing anything except existing and feeling uncomfortable as a pregnant woman with twins trying to navigate a house full of tension.
Then Thanksgiving happened.
Then the book happened.
Then the movement happened.
And suddenly, we weren’t watching a family drama anymore — we were watching a political, ideological, almost dystopian unraveling.
Around 1 hour and 51 minutes, the movie takes a hard left turn.
Anna, the oldest daughter, goes into hiding.
The authorities want her for… what exactly?
The idea that she’s “acting like Joan of Arc” becomes a bizarre justification for the chaos unfolding.
This is where the movie stops being “relatable family dysfunction” and becomes:
What in the hell am I watching?
Because at this point, it’s mirroring things we’ve actually seen in the real world:
- Families destroyed by political division
- Parents estranged from adult children who rewrite their childhood
- Mass movements that swallow people whole
- Communities turning on individuals for one accusation
- Ideologies tearing households apart
And when you look at it through that lens, the movie’s absurdity becomes its truth:
Sometimes the destruction of a family begins with something as small as a misunderstanding…
and ends with something as large as a movement.
⭐ Critical Perspectives
(And yes, critics felt the same whiplash I did.)
- The Los Angeles Times described the film as “deeply nihilistic” and no longer functioning as a warning because “that horse has already left the barn.”
- RogerEbert.com said the ambition is obvious and the timing is too perfect.
- The Film Stage noted it’s “relentlessly watchable” but vague in message and full of overacting.
So no — it’s not just you.
It is a wtf movie.
Intentionally.
⭐ Real-World Parallels (America especially)
Here’s where the film hits too close to home:
1. Families torn apart by politics
People stopped speaking to their own parents in 2016, 2020, and beyond — not because of abuse, but because of belief.
2. Adult children rewriting childhood
This is practically a modern epidemic.
Children forget the struggle, forget the meals, forget the sacrifices — and adopt a narrative that makes the parent the villain.
3. Movements that turn people into collateral damage
We’ve seen it:
Cancel culture.
Ideological purges.
Digital witch hunts.
4. Simple misunderstandings that escalate into life-changing accusations
In schools, workplaces, friend groups — someone gets upset, and the ripple effect becomes a tsunami.
5. Pregnant women or mothers being the emotional center of conflict
Society likes to police women’s emotions while excusing everyone else’s.
This movie portrays exactly that:
a diabolical unraveling of a family because one girl was mad at her teacher, and the world grabbed the match and lit the house with it.
⭐ My Final Take
This film isn’t for the faint of heart.
It is messy, disjointed, jarring, and uncomfortable — but intentionally so.
It captures something many people pretend doesn’t exist:
the fragile line between family and fracture, and how fast that line breaks when ideology enters a house built on secrets.
⭐ ⭐ My Rating: 4.5 out of 5
This film shook me.
It confused me.
It challenged me.
And whether I liked it or not, it made me think — deeply.
It also absolutely pissed me off.
Not just the movie, but the movement inside it…
the blind loyalty, the hysteria, the unraveling —
and the heartbreaking destruction of a family that genuinely loved one another until ideology pulled them apart at the seams.
And here’s the part I didn’t expect to feel so strongly:
I’m disappointed in humans — but not surprised.
People today will follow anything if a TikTok, a trend, or a piece of propaganda tells them to.
Logic? Gone.
Common sense? Missing.
Independent thought? On life support.
It’s exactly why I’ve written several blogs about this very thing — and even a book.
But I’ll be honest:
If you’re already indoctrinated, you won’t dare pick it up.
You won’t read what I wrote.
You won’t question a thing.
So keep that indoctrination tucked neatly in your pocket.
Carry it around like a lucky charm.
And enjoy the ride — wherever it drags you.
For provoking all of this — the anger, the reflection, the disappointment — the film earns its 4.5.
⭐ Disclaimer
This review reflects my personal interpretation as an author, storyteller, and observer of human behavior. All opinions are my own. Any comparisons to real events or social trends are made for analysis and commentary.
⭐ About the Author: A.L. Childers
A.L. Childers is the author of over 200 books, ranging from supernatural history and dark folklore to emotional memoirs, women’s empowerment, health, and cultural commentary. Her writing blends honesty, humor, and raw insight, cutting through the noise to find the truth in the human experience.
Her works include:
- The Hidden Empire
- Archons: Unveiling the Parasitic Entities Shaping Human Thoughts
- The Girl in the Mirror Is Thirteen Again
- Hashimoto’s Crock-Pot Recipes
- Reset Your Thyroid: 21-Day Meal Plan
- Nightmare Legends: Monsters and Dark Tales of the Appalachian Region
…and many more.
You can explore all titles on her Amazon Author Page.
