‘Here’ is a One-Angle Film that Struggles to Find its Place

Here

★ ★ ½

There’s potential for a great movie in ‘Here,’ directed by Robert Zemeckis, who’s known for hit films like ‘Back to the Future,’ ‘Romancing the Stone’ and ‘Forrest Gump.’ It’s told through a one-camera angle that stays in place through almost the entire film. The story seems more focused on the living room of a home and the history of the land it was built on than the characters who inhabit it.

‘Here’ shows us the land the house was built on in prehistoric times, when a meteor wiped out the dinosaurs, before it takes us through time to observe the different generations that call it home.

The Young family celebrate Christmas
© 2024 Miramax

We have an indigenous man (Joel Oulette) and woman (Dannie McCallum) who start a family near the land before the home is built. We go through colonial times with Benjamin Franklin (Keith Bartlett) and his family. We visit the Harters, an early 20th Century couple, John (Gwilym Lee) and Pauline (Michelle Dockery). In the 1940’s, we visit the Beekmans, Leo (David Fynn) and Stella (Ophelia Lovibond). There’s the Harris family in the 2010’s, Devon (Nicholas Pinnock), Helen (Nikki Amuka-Bird) and their son Justin (Cache Vanderpuye).

The main focus of this film, spanning two generations, is the Young family. We first meet Al (Paul Bettany) and his wife Rose (Kelly Reilly) just after his service in World War II as they purchase the house. Al balks at the price until Rose tells him she’s pregnant. They purchase the home and raise three children: Richard (Tom Hanks), Elizabeth (Lauren McQueen) and Jimmy (Harry Marcus).

Robin Wright and Tom Hanks
© 2024 Miramax

Richard meets his future wife, Margaret (Robin Wright) in high school. They make love on the couch in the living room, become teen parents and have a shotgun wedding in the living room. Margaret also gives birth in this same room. Richard and Margaret and their daughter continue to live in the home with Al and Rose well into their 50’s.

Watching the Young family grow old together gives us a lot of relatable, sentimental moments, but there’s so much movement back and forth between generations, even the most astute attention span will have trouble following along.

Celebrating Margaret’s 50th birthday
© 2024 Miramax

That’s likely what keeps this from being a beautiful introspective look at a house, its land and the memories it holds.

Throughout the film, thin frames appear on certain areas of the screen. The frames fill in with scenes from another generation as they would have happened in the living room at that moment in time. Sometimes this is done to transition us forward or backward to that point of time in the film. It’s an innovative way of showing the connection of time passing, but the nearly constant movement back and forth kept pulling me out of the narrative.

This presentation of time-jumps also degrades the emotional connection the audience should have with the characters. I also felt the one-angle approach stifled the performances. There are moments where it is obvious that the actors know where the camera is placed but are trying to pretend they have no idea.

I like the thought of telling the story of a home through a vast span of generations. As presented, it’s just not quite good enough to recommend.

Drama