Here Review: Zemeckis Reunites with Forrest Gump Stars for Single-Frame Experiment in Life-Spanning Storytelling
There have been a surprising number of mainstream single-take films in recent years, so-called "oners," which are filmed in a single unedited take, or filmed to convey the illusion that they are. One Shot, Boiling Point, 1917, Birdman — cinematic experimentation has become normalized. But has there been a single-frame film? Robert Zemeckis, Academy Award winner for Forrest Gump, has reteamed with his gang from that Tom Hanks and Robin Wright film for Here, a daring new experiment in form with content that is as mainstream as it comes. It's a weird, bold film that somehow comes up short on both fronts.
It doesn't help that his use of de-aging on Hanks and Wright could stir the ol' A.I.-controversy pot this awards season, or that it all feels a bit hopeless by the end in this entrapment of a single-frame tale. But Wright's deeply empathetic and beautiful performance may be enough to sway viewers this season. And Hanks does his Hanks thing, of course, though his jaded-dad turn here isn't exactly his most endearing role from his vast collection of scene-stealing performances.
Charting a Plot of Land Through Time
A young couple expecting their first child takes in the husband's estranged, ailing mother. Set in a single room, the story spans multiple generations, capturing moments of love, loss, and everyday life in the same space. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and featuring performances by Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, and Paul Bettany, the film uses groundbreaking technology to de-age actors and presents a unique, stationary camera perspective throughout its runtime.
- Release Date
- November 15, 2024
- Runtime
- 104 Minutes
- Studio(s)
- MiraMax , Playtone , ImageMovers
- Distributor(s)
- TriStar Pictures
- While some may not appreciate it, the utter ambitiousness of the film should be lauded.
- Robin Wright is especially phenomenal, and Tom Hanks appeals in a surprisingly darker role.
- The de-aging effects are distracting and uncanny.
- The surfeit of subplots add up to nothing and the supporting actors are wasted.
Cinephiles who have been tracking the reports of Zemeckis' new feature may already know the gimmick of Here, especially given the contents of the released teaser trailer. The static 16x9 frame of virtually the entire film remains the same, as the story — based off the 2014 graphic novel by Richard McGuire — takes us through lifetimes and generations of folks who make their way through the very same intimate space.
In the vein of classics like Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey and Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life, the screenplay by Zemeckis and Eric Roth takes us way back, even to the prehistoric days, when dinosaurs roamed the planet until the world-ending catastrophe wiped their existence. It's a thrilling start to the drama, following an opening-credits sequence that sets the literal stage for what's to transpire within the house over the span of the universe.
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And similar to Malick's time-spanning stunner, Here ultimately settles into its A-story featuring Hanks and Wright, as a couple who once met as teenagers and then spend virtually the rest of their lives with the film's eponymous house as their family residence. Zemeckis effectively maintains a certain narrative momentum throughout — despite the ongoing and overtly cheesy musical score that might be a turn-off for the more modern moviegoers — by continually splicing in B-stories of other folks who occupied the house at other points in time, such as:
- An Indigenous couple (Joel Oulette and Dannie McCallum) welcoming a baby before Europe's arrival in the New World.
- Former President Benjamin Franklin's son William (Daniel Betts) and his family.
- The wise-cracking inventor of the recliner (David Fynn) and his adoring wife (Ophelia Lovibond).
- An ambitious early 20th-century airplane pilot (Gwilym Lee) and his perpetually concerned housewife (Michelle Dockery).
- A well-to-do Black family (Nicholas Pinnock, Nikki Amuka-Bird, and Cache Vanderpuye) and their family-status housekeeper (Anya Marco-Harris) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another Daring Zemeckis Experiment
And then there's Margaret (Wright) and Richard (Hanks), whose hardened war-veteran father Al (Paul Bettany) hates that Richard pulled the trigger on having a child so early in life, effectively quashing any dreams Richard may have had of being, say, a talented artist. Meanwhile, Richard's loving mom, Rose (Kelly Reilly), remains supportive, and they all decide to shack up together in, you guessed it, the house-in-focus, to mixed results.
The Richard-Margaret dynamic encompasses the gamut of married life: love, heartbreak, financial woes, career failures, raising a child correctly, in-law dynamics, boredom, and more. At the end of the day, there's plenty of endearing subject matter surrounding the ever-likable Hanks & Wright, and it's surprising Sony wouldn't release this kind of cozy-by-the-fire feature closer to December 25, despite occasional heart-wrenching plot beats. But hey, what do we know?
De-Aging Tom Hanks and Robin Penn
Since their journey starts as teenagers, you can guess the way in which the Here team decides to depict Hank and Wright in their youth. Zemeckis has been at the forefront of digital technology over the last three decades, but there has nonetheless been criticism of how he uses it, mostly regarding the so-called uncanny valley (from The Polar Express to 2009's A Christmas Carol).
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That divisiveness continues in Here, with Zemeckis boldly highlighting his team's effects, getting his digitally de-aged actors right up close to the camera from time to time, almost like he's saying, "Hey, look, our effects team made their younger selves look quite legitimate, wouldn't you say?" It's a point of contention that may sway a hefty chunk of viewers the wrong way, even if the end result is easier to stomach than, say, the de-aged Robert De Niro in The Irishman.
Too Many People Say Too Little
And going back to the rest of the on-screen ensemble — as you might guess or even expect, most of those side stories unfortunately come off as merely serviceable and underdeveloped by the end, and a disservice to the committed actors who have put in the work. By including an impressive array of storylines through the ages, you're left wanting quite a bit more from each, particularly the reclining-chair inventor and his quick-witted wife. A whole, hilarious and warmhearted sitcom could revolve around these childless lovebirds and their success story.
But again, this is another daring experiment for the ever-daring Zemeckis, and single-frame, quick-transitioning experiments like these will inevitably be a give-and-take. Zemeckis is perhaps hoping you'll focus more on the grand scheme of things, how the sole living room we witness stands for a receptor of memories, in all shapes and forms. You don't need to travel to the far reaches of this planet to gather all that life has to offer, it seems.
From TriStar Pictures, Here will be released in theaters on November 1 following its world premiere at AFI FEST 2024 in Los Angeles.
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