Displaying items by tag: Sean Bean

ANEMONE

UK, US, 2025, 125 minutes, Colour.

Daniel Day-Lewis, Sean Bean, Samuel Bottomley, Samantha Morton.

Directed by Ronan Day-Lewis.

A stark, often disturbing and challenging drama.

The film has been directed by Ronan Day-Lewis, son of three-time Oscar-winning actor, Daniel Day-Lewis, considered one of the greatest actors of the times. He retired from filmmaking in 2017 but has cowritten this film with his son and come back to the screen in yet another very powerful performance reminiscent of his sinister knife-throwing in Gangs of New York and his arrogance in There Will Be Blood.

Daniel Day-Lewis plays the central character, Ray, a soldier in the past, the Troubles in Ireland, military action, life and death decisions which still haunt him. He has become a recluse, long since, living in a cabin in the woods, abandoning his wife and son, withdrawing from society and any ordinary life, hunting, surviving.

For the action of the film, Ray’s son, Brian, Samuel Bottomley, has a possible military career, but haunted by the reputation of his father as well as his father’s absence for most of his life, wants to meet his father. His mother, played by Samantha Morton, has married Ray’s brother, Jem, Sean Bean, and they have brought up the young man.

But, Jem goes to visit his brother and a lot of the film is about their interaction, sometimes quiet, sometimes violent, physical struggles, emotional and psychological confrontations, sharing the survival mode in the forest. But this does give the opportunity for Daniel Day-Lewis to speak some extraordinary monologues, his pain and anguish from his military decisions, his sense of isolation and abandonment of family, his intention to continue this way of withdrawal in life.

Suddenly, and strikingly, there is a long and powerful monologue about an abusive priest in the past, Ray’s encounter with him as an adult, the priest not realising that Ray was his victim, again being seductive, but Ray turning on him viciously, and the extraordinarily graphic description of an angry revenge (whether reality or in Ray’s imagination, Ray defecating on the priest, almost parallelling this disgusting act with a sacramental experience. It is one of the most direct and powerful descriptions of vengeance on an abuser.

The scenes between Ray and Jem raise consciousness and conscience, a letter from his wife begging him to come home for their son, the final brutal clash with Jem then a kind of catharsis as Ray makes a decision to come back, arriving at the door, seeing his son, his wife – and leaving it to the audience to speculate, to imagine, what the consequences will be for each of these characters.

The title refers to the flower, anemone:

Anemone flowers, or "windflowers," generally symbolize anticipation, fragility, and protection, with deep roots in romantic passion and tragic love. Deriving their name from the Greek word for wind, they also represent the fleeting nature of life, luck, and emotional attachment, often signifying a fresh start or spring's arrival. (Google AI summary).

1. The title, the flower, its symbolism, the story of Ray, Jem, Brian?
2. The collaboration between father and son, acting, directing, the collaboration with the screenplay and its issues and themes?
3. The British setting, the Troubles in Northern Ireland? Ray, soldier, reputed, service, the uprisings, the wounded man, the decision about killing him? The effect on him personally, conscience, withdrawal, living alone, with his guilt? Leaving his wife and son?
4. The locations, the remote heart, the countryside, the fields, river, the grim aspects of nature? The contrast with the town, the streets, ordinary life, home? The musical score – at times pounding?
5. The situation, Ray and his withdrawal, the years passing, Nessie and her memories, attitude towards Ray, her son, reliance on Jem, bringing up Brian? Brian, the military, his father’s reputation, criticisms, withdrawal, his future?
6. The visit by Jem, the two brothers, the relationship, distance, memories of the past, Jem and his mission to bring Ray home, the letter from Nessie?
7. The core of the film, the brothers’ relationship, their talking, sharing memories, silences, hostilities, out in the woods, the clashes, the moods? The portrait of each man, in himself, and in relationship with each other?
8. The scenes with Brian, at home, withdrawal, attitude towards his father, wanting to know the truth, his future? relationship with his mother, her work, place in the town, relationship with Jem, her memories? The letter?
9. The physical violence between the brothers, the psychological violence, the ups and downs, each pressuring the other? Ray and his determination? The issue of the reading of the letter, eventually?
10. Ray, any resolution to the problem, the impact of the letter, his returning, a reconciliation with Jem, coming to the door, Nessie, Brian, and the film stopping – and the audience imagining the future, difficulties, hopes, a new life and relationships?

MUMMIES

Spain, 2023, 88 minutes, Colour.

Joe Thomas, Eleanor Tomlinson, Hugh Bonneville, Sean Bean, Celia Imre, Santiago Winder, Shakka, Dan Starkey.

Directed by Juan Jesus Garcia Galocho.

An unexpected and entertaining animation film, especially because it comes from Spain, Spanish writers, Spanish director, Spanish technology – but with the central part of the action taking place in contemporary London.

This is a film which young audiences may well enjoy with its characters, adventures. However, it is also a tongue-in-cheek entertainment for an adult audience, especially those with some familiarity of exploration and excavations, digging up ancient Egypt, transporting souvenirs for museums in Europe. And the popular music scene.

The original version has a Spanish voice cast but for English-speaking audiences there is an excellent cast, Joe Thomas and Eleanor Tomlinson in the central roles, Sean Bean as the Pharaoh, Hugh Bonneville is a sometimes dim-witted, ambitious and villainous Lord Carnaby. And, in support, is Celia Imre as the mother.

There is ambiguity in the title of the film. There are the Egyptian mummies but Lord Carnaby’s mother is continually phoning him, criticising him, demanding he go to the theatre, a torment in his life, and villainous mummy, so to speak.

The action opens with a Ben Hur kind of chariot race introducing us to the hero, Thurt, the charioteer, triumphant, but his wheels falling off his going into depression, wanting isolation, autographing fan cards. He has a chance encounter with the Princess, harsh in her manner, told by her father that she has to marry, and the sacred bird will indicate the correct suitor. The charioteer’s precocious younger brother throws a boomerang and it bounces off various surfaces finally hitting the charioteer. He wants to live alone. The Princess doesn’t want to marry, feels imposed on.

In the meantime, we see Lord Carnaby and his dimwitted associates excavating, finding treasure, especially a ring, which the charioteer and the Princess want to recover. And, here is the inventiveness, they have to leave the Egyptian Afterlife and go into the contemporary world, the audience looking at our world through their eyes and amazement, although the younger brother adapts very very quickly to the technology and to the slaying.

The main action then takes place in London, the charity and Princess thinking that such a big metropolis must be Rome. Their adventures take place in the theatre putting on a new musical of Aida with all its costume and Egyptian sets, the Princess seeing the ring and taking over the singing, great applause, being taken up by an enthusiastic rapper, Ed (Shakka). The Princess is applauded, makes a record, goes viral, loves the fame. But they are captured by Lord Carnaby and what follows is a struggle in the Museum, a car and bus chase through London, and a final return to the Afterlife, a couple in love, happy ever after.

An unexpectedly enjoyable experience.

1. A film for children? A film for adults?
2. The title, the Egyptian mummies? And Lord Carnaby’s continual phone calls and criticisms from his mother?
3. The Spanish film, Spanish writers and director, the British version with British voice cast? Musical score? Songs? A musical of Aida?
4. The imagination of the film, ancient Egypt, the Egyptian afterlife, 21^st-century excavations, discoveries, artefacts, exhibitions? The characters from the afterlife in the 21^st-century, Egypt, London? Spotlights and their appearing as skeletal?
5. Introduction to Thurt, the amphitheatre, the chariot race, echoes of Ben Hur, victory, the chariot wheels, his retiring, loss of self-confidence, yet being a star, autographing all the cards? With his young brother, with the dog? The sudden discovery that he was to be married to the Princess?
6. The Princess, the clash with the charioteer in the street, her haughtiness, the pharaoh, her chaperone, to be married, her wanting independence, the announcement of the charioteer, the bird and its choice (and the little brother’s boomerang)? The issue of the ring?
7. Lord Carnaby, the satire on British excavators? His two dithering assistants? The excavations, the discoveries, the ring, his ambitions, transferring everything to London, his museum? The setting up of the exhibition? His relationship with his mother, her continually dominating, phoning at the wrong time, demanding he go to the theatre, the theatre performance? Her phoning him even when in the same room?
8. The adventures of the charioteer, the Princess, the little brother and the dog, venturing out into the modern world, amazed, the audience looking at 21^st-century through their eyes? The transport, going to London, thinking that it was Rome? The younger brother adapting to the 21^st-century, all the technology, all the slaying? The dog enjoying himself?
9. The tension between the charioteer and Princess, not wanting to be married, he to be a bachelor, she to be free, her ambitions? The sparring, their being forced together? The traffic and the dangers? Going to the theatre, the new musical of Aida, the sets and costumes, the stage manager pushing the men, on stage, the performance, the Princess intervening, taking over, the ring, her song, glimpsed as skeletal yet the applause?
10. The encounter with, rapper, entrepreneur, praising the Princess, saving them, giving them accommodation, the charioteer and his jealousy? Going to the shops, the credit card, the display of different costumes? Going to the studio, the Princess performing its song? Its success, going viral? Her being pleased, acknowledged, applauded?
11. Going to the museum, their being trapped by Lord Carnaby, drugged, the brother and dog to the rescue, Ed intervening, his being drugged, all the action, yet the two assistants and their dithering, at the drinks and sweets machine, the cardboard cutout of Lord Carnaby, the bewilderment, the escape, the drive through London, the brother driving the bus, the dog with the pedal, Lord Carnaby in pursuit, the manoeuvres, his finishing up on the barge on the Thames?
12. The Princess, her decision, the return to Egypt’s, the pharaoh and his welcome, her mother, the charioteer and his proposal? Happy ending – and her singing?
13. An inventive imaginative animation entertainment?