Here – Film Review
by Fran Winston

Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly

In cinemas on January 17

This is based on a graphic novel and has the unusual concept of focusing on a single spot of land and its inhabitants, spanning from the Cretaceous period to modern times. While most of the movie focuses on the living room of a home built on the plot, eventually inhabited by Richard Young (Hanks), his wife Margaret (Wright) and their family, it jumps back and forth between periods to show the history of the space.

It’s an interesting concept to be sure, but the execution was always going to be tricky. In the case of Hanks and Wright, it involves a lot of de-ageing as we first see them as teenagers. We also hop back and forth between eras, but you never get to know any of the subsidiary characters well enough to care about them. Zemeckis clearly wants to keep the focus on his stars but it does affect the storytelling.

The camera literally focuses on the same spot throughout the movie. This is as discombobulating as it sounds. As moviegoers, we are used to having movement in our images and the static shot doesn’t always work for scenes.

It is also hindered by the fact there is very little drama in any of the stories. On the whole, the characters suffer everyday issues. Siblings bicker, people get ill and die, babies are born, and children have birthday parties. It doesn’t make for very high drama.

While these moments should have an emotional resonance the style of the piece dilutes much of that. Also, some scenes feel rather contrived due to the restrictions of using just one space. Many events of the movie feel shoehorned in when in reality they would have taken place elsewhere.

I haven’t read the graphic novel so I am not sure how closely this adheres to it but the concept doesn’t translate well to screen. It is an interesting idea but feels more like an art installation in a gallery than a movie. Zemeckis is also determined to pull at the heartstrings and lays the sentiment on so thickly that it becomes cloying.

This has some very sweet moments. Both Hanks and Wright give great performances. However, it all feels a bit uninspired. The high concept makes it feel more arthouse than mainstream, and it is difficult to care about the characters when you merely get snippets of their lives in a nonlinear style. Proof that just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.