Anniversary

A wealthy Georgetown professor whose progressive instincts set the family in motion and are tested by the Change. She grapples with balancing public virtue and private loyalty, facing a career setback as the movement tightens its grip. Her arc traces a shift from principled leadership to moral ambiguity under pressure.

A restaurateur and devoted father whose steadiness is shaken as the Change reshapes society. He tries to support his children while confronting loss and uncertainty, revealing a stubborn but vulnerable side. His decisions reflect the conflict between family loyalty and economic survival.

An environmental lawyer who navigates pregnancy, abortion, and the family’s crumbling world. She battles anxiety and addiction while seeking independence and safety for herself and her future child. Her choices expose the personal toll of living in a politically charged climate.

The sharp, rebellious daughter whose provocations and relationships challenge family norms. She uses performance and humor to push back against conformity, and her actions propel key plot twists, including a dramatic return at the end. Her artistry and independence make her a dangerous wildcard in the family’s crisis.

A teenage bohemian who loves wildlife and science. She becomes a symbolic figure of youth activism, passing a password to a virology database and getting entangled in a dangerous political machinery. Her enthusiasm for nature clashes with a world that exploits science for power.

An aspiring novelist who reinvents himself with confidence and swagger. He uses charm and manipulation to push the family toward his own vision of change, becoming a central driver of the drama. His ambitions reveal a willingness to sacrifice others for personal advancement.

Josh's fiancée who appears polite and strategic, gifting the Change manifesto and steering public sentiment. She embodies political savvy and personal ambition, ultimately revealing a chilling capacity for manipulation. Her actions catalyze the family’s unraveling and the climactic tragedy.

Cynthia's partner who embraces the Change and navigates the shifting social order. He experiences the complexities of loyalty, paternal responsibility, and the consequences of a world gone unstable. His choices mirror the broader conflict between personal affection and ideological allegiance.

A journalism student and Birdie's partner who becomes entangled in the dangerous political climate. He senses the threat in surveillance and propaganda and chooses caution, eventually stepping back from the escalating danger. His presence highlights how youth media interacts with family fate.

A census enumerator who embodies the bureaucratic bluntness of a surveillance state. The encounter with the Taylors reveals how ordinary officials can become instruments of pressure and fear. Her presence marks the shift from private trouble to public scrutiny.

A second enumerator whose questions intensify pressure on the Taylors and signal the expanding reach of the state. Her exchanges with the family underline the chilling ease with which private lives are catalogued. She represents the omnipresent gaze of a totalitarian administration.