Here

The film Here, inspired by the work of Richard Mac Guire and directed by Robert Zemeckis, immediately plunges us into a constantly changing landscape with the birth of our universe from prehistoric times to the present day in 2024. In a giant leap in space and time, we are propelled into an empty apartment with a real estate agent. A young couple, Al and Rose, seem won over by this rental. We are at the beginning of the construction in 1907, and that is how our story begins.

The camera is fixed, the scene takes place in a single location, a single room, the only living space being the living room. Then, after a few moments, small squares unexpectedly open up on the screen, with the characters from the film inside, then these small squares close again to plunge us full screen into the home of another couple with a different decor. It is quite disconcerting to go from one family to another in an instant. Depending on the feelings and attention of each spectator, it takes a certain amount of time to adapt and to step back in order to follow the thread of each tenant's life. But thanks to the skill and precision of the set designers and costume designers, after a few minutes we are able to better understand and recognize at a glance the specific features of the apartment of each of the couples we find ourselves in, in particular the large sofa, the table, the wallpaper, the background music and the clothes.

Once past this hurdle, it is with pleasure that we find ourselves thinking and imagining what the next access window will be, who will we meet next? Rose and Al or Margaret and Richard, suspense in perspective. It is true that this constant return of characters and change of situation can hinder our understanding of the story, bore us and prevent us from appreciating the film and its successive tenants. You may feel lost and also find it difficult to remember the exact faces and names of the characters. 

Toms Hanks and Robin Wright are stunningly lifelike, we see them gradually grow older, change in appearance and go from 20 years old to retirement age, thanks to an elaborate AI system that allows photos and videos of the actors at the beginning of their careers to be taken from a database and grafted onto their identities, thus allowing for more natural acting, increased realism without artifice, wigs or prosthetics. It is a real technical feat, and one can easily imagine that the film was shot and directed some thirty years ago because of the ambiance, the colors, the hushed atmosphere in an old-fashioned setting. 

The music is omnipresent, perfectly reflecting the passing eras, with notes that are sometimes dynamic, more romantic or full of emotion depending on the families, making you want to dance. Each tune adapts perfectly to the atmosphere of the room and certainly allows you to be in communion with the couples in it. The decor is remarkable, to be precise, the sofa among other things changes shape but remains a strong element of the room, it is here that everything happens, love, joys, regrets, emotions, disagreements. These couples are endearing as they are towards their apartment, we follow their lives with pleasure over time. The production is such that there is no need to want to see the other parts of the apartment, the single room of the dining room is enough to reflect the atmosphere of its occupants.

Here is a film for all audiences, confusing, innovative, daring in its fixed camera shot in a single room, pleasant to watch but requiring a minimum of attention at the beginning of the film, full of emotion, real moments of life unfolding before our eyes, music well suited to the situation of the characters and their era.

Here
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Written by Eric Roth, Robert Zemeckis
Based on Here by Richard McGuire
Produced by Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke, Derek Hogue, Bill Block
Starring     Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly
Cinematography : Don Burgess
Edited by Jesse Goldsmith
Music by Alan Silvestri
Production companies : TriStar Pictures, Miramax, ImageMovers
Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing (United States), SND (France)
Release dates : October 25, 2024 (AFI Fest), November 1, 2024 (United States), November 6, 2024 (France)
Running time : 104 minutes

Seen on Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at the Cinéma Max Linder

Mulder's Mark:

The film Here, inspired by the work of Richard Mac Guire and directed by Robert Zemeckis, immediately plunges us into a constantly changing landscape with the birth of our universe from prehistoric times to the present day in 2024. In a giant leap in space and time, we are propelled into an empty apartment with a real estate agent. A young couple, Al and Rose, seem won over by this rental. We are at the beginning of the construction in 1907, and that is how our story begins.

The camera is fixed, the scene takes place in a single location, a single room, the only living space being the living room. Then, after a few moments, small squares unexpectedly open up on the screen, with the characters from the film inside, then these small squares close again to plunge us full screen into the home of another couple with a different decor. It is quite disconcerting to go from one family to another in an instant. Depending on the feelings and attention of each spectator, it takes a certain amount of time to adapt and to step back in order to follow the thread of each tenant's life. But thanks to the skill and precision of the set designers and costume designers, after a few minutes we are able to better understand and recognize at a glance the specific features of the apartment of each of the couples we find ourselves in, in particular the large sofa, the table, the wallpaper, the background music and the clothes.

Once past this hurdle, it is with pleasure that we find ourselves thinking and imagining what the next access window will be, who will we meet next? Rose and Al or Margaret and Richard, suspense in perspective. It is true that this constant return of characters and change of situation can hinder our understanding of the story, bore us and prevent us from appreciating the film and its successive tenants. You may feel lost and also find it difficult to remember the exact faces and names of the characters. 

Toms Hanks and Robin Wright are stunningly lifelike, we see them gradually grow older, change in appearance and go from 20 years old to retirement age, thanks to an elaborate AI system that allows photos and videos of the actors at the beginning of their careers to be taken from a database and grafted onto their identities, thus allowing for more natural acting, increased realism without artifice, wigs or prosthetics. It is a real technical feat, and one can easily imagine that the film was shot and directed some thirty years ago because of the ambiance, the colors, the hushed atmosphere in an old-fashioned setting. 

The music is omnipresent, perfectly reflecting the passing eras, with notes that are sometimes dynamic, more romantic or full of emotion depending on the families, making you want to dance. Each tune adapts perfectly to the atmosphere of the room and certainly allows you to be in communion with the couples in it. The decor is remarkable, to be precise, the sofa among other things changes shape but remains a strong element of the room, it is here that everything happens, love, joys, regrets, emotions, disagreements. These couples are endearing as they are towards their apartment, we follow their lives with pleasure over time. The production is such that there is no need to want to see the other parts of the apartment, the single room of the dining room is enough to reflect the atmosphere of its occupants.

Here is a film for all audiences, confusing, innovative, daring in its fixed camera shot in a single room, pleasant to watch but requiring a minimum of attention at the beginning of the film, full of emotion, real moments of life unfolding before our eyes, music well suited to the situation of the characters and their era.

Here
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Written by Eric Roth, Robert Zemeckis
Based on Here by Richard McGuire
Produced by Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke, Derek Hogue, Bill Block
Starring     Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly
Cinematography : Don Burgess
Edited by Jesse Goldsmith
Music by Alan Silvestri
Production companies : TriStar Pictures, Miramax, ImageMovers
Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing (United States), SND (France)
Release dates : October 25, 2024 (AFI Fest), November 1, 2024 (United States), November 6, 2024 (France)
Running time : 104 minutes

Seen on Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at the Cinéma Max Linder

Cookie's Mark: