Winner of the Best Feature Narrative Comedy at the prestigious Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, California The Anniversary is a dark comedy about a woman's hopes and dreams for her missing husband to return during a dinner party on the evening of their 21st wedding anniversary. The Anniversary touches on several universal themes of being a single mom, a broken marriage, and broken heart. In a night of tears, laughter and friendship, The Anniversary exposes Teresa's tenacious hope that her husband's love will bring him back home and that they can be a united family once more.
Synopsis
On the morning of their 20th wedding anniversary, Teresa's husband Sam goes for a run and keeps on running. Exactly, one year later, Teresa throws a dinner celebration hoping Sam will return for the party. Teresa's guest list includes her bitter mother Evelyn; Carl, who has a crush on her, Marie Jose, who had an affair with Sam; and Nicky, Sam and Teresa's teenage son who not only feels guilty about Sam's absence but about his sexuality. As the evening unfolds, we realize Teresa is tenaciously holding onto his return. Teresa sees Sam as the hope that her past life could return. She misses the normalcy, she misses her husband. Evelyn lived through a loveless marriage and though she is angry and bitter, she loves Teresa and wants her to accept the pain of the loss and move on. Carl hates Sam, not only for his desertion of Teresa but for the hope he gave Carl's late wife, a hope that Carl couldn't deliver himself. Carl wants to rescue Teresa as he couldn't do to his own wife. Nicky is also struggling. He wants his mother to know that he feels pain and loss also, and his constant attempts at humor are only masking all these issues that he's afraid to admit to.
As the night wears on and hidden emotions and motives are revealed by all at the party, Nicky gives the guests a bit of magic as he spikes the food with some hallucinogenics causing a wide variety of effects. After lots of laughter, tears, and awkward embraces, Teresa realizes the truth about Sam's departure and what it means to say "I Love You." Only with the rise of the morning sun, will hope return to all who attended The Anniversary.
