Anemone

Jem Stoker, a retired veteran, leaves his wife Nessa and his son Brian to travel into a remote forest. He seeks distance and perhaps clarity after years of service. The journey marks the start of a tense reunification arc with his brother Ray.

Jem reaches Ray's secluded forest hut, where Ray has lived as a recluse after retirement. The brothers' estrangement is evident in their wary greetings and guarded conversation. The scene establishes the emotional distance that colors their reunion.

Jem brings Ray a letter from Nessa asking him to come home to talk to Brian. The letter acts as a catalyst for re-engagement with the family. Ray's presence and the request hint at a potential, fragile reunion.

Brian has been sent home from the army after ruthlessly hurting a colleague, creating tension within the Stoker family. Nessa hopes Ray's perspective might help mend the rift. The backstory adds weight to the family dynamics at play.

Ray was married to Nessa and had left her when she was pregnant with Brian. Jem later married Nessa and raised Brian as his own son. Jem discovers Ray has stored all of Nessa's letters and even a painting Brian created, kept in a box.

Jem convinces Ray to accompany him back toward the family. He calls Nessa to say that Ray is with him and that they will meet Brian. The moment pushes the plan for a family reunion forward.

Nessa confronts Brian about his actions and his anger. She shares Ray's backstory and his Troubles-era experiences to explain why Ray is the person he is. Brian remains unconvinced and resents Ray for leaving the family.

Ray recounts a surveillance mission around a shed where a bombmaker and his teenage nephew were involved. The device exploded, maiming the nephew and leaving the bombmaker with his teeth embedded in his head. The boy's pleas to end his misery haunt Ray as he recalls the exchange.

An in-department inquiry followed, and Ray was branded a war criminal. He was removed from service and returned to Sheffield, the place where he had once left Nessa. The label reshapes his identity and his relationship with the family.

A hailstorm sweeps both the city and the forest, destabilizing the environment. In the storm's aftermath, Ray and Jem engage in a brawl, which Jem ultimately calms and diffuses. The storm acts as a metaphor for the brothers' fractured state.

Ray and Jem head back toward the Stoker home, with Ray driving a motorcycle. The journey back signals a tentative step toward integrating Ray back into family life. The dynamic between the men shifts as they move closer to the house.

Arriving at the Stoker home, Ray spots Nessa and Brian on the porch. He approaches them with a quiet resolve, marking the threshold of an uncertain reconciliation. The scene ends the timeline on a moment of possible reunion.