Here

Tom Hanks and Robin Wright’s new movie Here is a beautiful and brilliant portrayal of the progression of time, and generational responsibility. Paul Bettany gives a stand out performance. And the editing of the scene transitions and style of the direction is subtle, quiet and deeply emotionally connected.

Here doesn’t tell a specific story per se, it simply takes you through the lives of couples, people, families and gives a compelling look at the toll of time. The film opens with the passage of time, from the dinosaurs to the present day. As it was adapted from a graphic novel the movie uses photographic transitions. And the film itself is essentially watching a photograph as the camera does not move until the final shot of the film. This static choice could easily make the film feel boring, but instead the use of transitions and having actors disappear behind the camera keeps the film visually interesting. And the stationary camera gives the audience the chance to observe like a fly on the wall in these people's lives.

We get glimpses of a few couples throughout the film but we spend most of our time following Al and Rose, Richard and Margeret. There are other family members and people that make appearances in this house with our main characters, but they are the central story. Al was a war vet, who sacrificed whatever dreams he had for the well being of his family. Rose was his perfect housewife. Richard was a dreamer and an artist who gave it up for the wellbeing of his family. Margaret was the hopeful young woman who dreamt of travel, and being a lawyer until she got pregnant at 18. She too gave up her dreams for her family. I think one of the biggest themes of this film is family influence. Whether it be good or bad we as people learn behaviors from our parents. Richard saw his father work a “suitable” job day in and day out, allowing him to support his family. Al also directly told Richard that he couldn’t make a living as an artist and he needed to find a job where he wore a suit. That is exactly the life that Richard fell into and he didn’t pick up a paintbrush again until after his dad died.

Then we have the different love stories that we got to explore with these couples. Al and Rose clearly loved each other but nothing is perfect and they had their moments. But once Rose was gone Al was very broken up by her loss. Margaret leaves Richard for the adventure and life that she never got. But they end the film together, Margaret clearly has some sort of dementia and he brings her back to the house in hopes that she will remember. And as she does the camera finally moves. It is beautiful.

I find that this film feels quite like a stage play. It was adapted from a visual medium and that integrity was easily kept in the filmmaking process. But the scenes themselves felt like I was watching it on stage, something aided by the lack of camera movement. It made it feel far more connected. The audience was able to be inside the story and the world.

Here is an incredibly moving film that is certainly deserving of more than a few Oscar nods. The production design deserves recognition for their ability to create such distinct, specific looks for every decade that were instantly recognizable. And of the incredible cast that brought this film to life I think that Paul Bettany was really the stand out performance and will hopefully get a supporting actor nomination. Overall the film is stunning, heartbreaking, and will leave you thinking about what you want out of life. A perfect 10/10.