The Trailer:
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, George MacKay, Tom Holland, & Harley Bird
Synopsis: An American teenager (Saoirse Ronan) sent to the English countryside to stay with relatives (George MacKay, Tom Holland, & Harley Bird) finds love and purpose while on the brink of World War 3.
I've yet to read thebook in which this film is based on, but after viewing this I think I might have to. It's an interesting story and was told masterfully. Also Saoirse Ronan stars in this film, and she is an amazing actor so of course I had to watch it.
There are quite a few things I like about this film. First being the weird genre melding. This is a true teenage romance, sappy and intense, with a gritty backdrop of war and societal change, with also a bit of sci-fi (mind-reading, telepathy) thrown in. What I appreciate most about this is that the genres are truly blended together to create a layered story rather than each genre fighting for center stage. This is a refreshing commodity mainly because most directors/writers who attempt this, do it badly. This film knew what it wanted to be and achieved it perfectly. The second thing I like about this movie is the acting. I've already mentioned that I think Saoirse Ronan is a great actor and she truly is in this film. As Daisy, Saoirse performs this really beautiful character arc of going from a remarkably unlikable character who is rude, standoffish and closed off to a character who is brave, relentless, and caring, more open. It was amazing to witness this transition and even more-so to see Saoirse Ronan pull it off so well. George MacKay as Eddie has the opposite character arc; he goes from being the leader of the family, caring, and encouraging, and open to being distant, closed off and detached from the world and those he loves. And although we don't see the actual transition, he played both parts very well. Tom Holland as Isaac didn't have a large part in the film, but he was just as important; he is the funny bone of the body of this group. He is smart, funny, and sometimes crass, but, most importantly, always loving. And his departure in the film is genuinely heartbreaking. And my biggest applause goes to Harley Bird who portrayed the youngest character, Piper. Child actors are always a little tricky, especially in roles that require them to be in dark, intense situations, but she does an amazing job. She is believable and adorable and wistful. I was oftentimes worried about her character and whether she was going to make it in this war-torn society. The third thing I liked about this film is the production. The way in which the director chose to film the different parts of the story fits so well. The beginning is shot showing beautiful landscapes and this loving group of cousins who have to fend for themselves in this new era of war, but it's never dismal. But when the group is split up and forced to either fight in the war (the boys) or work on farms (the girls), all the scenes are shot very sharp and realistic which held the tone of terror and fear that Daisy feels and heightens her distress at keeping her promise to Eddie to make her way back to their farm. And in the end, when all is resolved, everything is shot with a softness that mirrors the struggle being over and time for healing. The fourth thing, and this is small, but the soundtrack is awesome!
Now for the things I didn't like. As you may or may not know, I'm not a huge fan of romance movies, and while this isn't necessarily a romance film, there is still a romance angle that I don't like (oops, how many times can I say romance in a single sentence?). The time span in which Daisy and Eddie fall in love is like three days, so way too fast! And I understand that on the threshold of war (impending doom) that emotions are heightened and felt more deeply as compared to normal times, so I can understand how they fell in love so quickly, but I still don't like it. It just really rings out as puppy love and extremely silly, especially since they're teenagers. Really, though, the romance angle may just be an annoyance to me. Another thing I don't like is how there's really no backstory to Daisy. For instance, her name isn't even Daisy, it's Elizabeth, but she doesn't explain why she has renounced that name. Also, it seems as though she has OCD or high anxiety or something, because she is constantly hearing negative affirmations in her head that leave her feeling frazzled and "cursed". And I just didn't understand where this came from. Or why her father sent her across the Atlantic ocean to live with family that she's never met, and more importantly why she refused to go back to America when she had the chance. I don't know. And I know that knowing any of these details wouldn't change the outcome or progress of the film, but I still would've liked to know. Another thing left unexplained is the mind reading that Eddie possesses. It is never even said out loud that he has this ability, it's just inferred. Where did this ability come from? Along with the mind-reading is the odd telepathy that Daisy and Eddie have while trying to find each other throughout the film, mostly through dreams, but how are they doing it? Is it only one-sided, or are they both experiencing it? In speaking of the dreams, I liked most of the dream sequences except for one: there is a dream in which Daisy is running through the forest naked yelling our Eddie's name. While I don't mind the dream itself, I don't like the way in which it was filmed, it just bothered me and doesn't fit well with the rest of the film.
Ultimately I like How I Live Now, it's an interesting blend of hyper-realism mixed with fantasy and drama. And while I had questions left unanswered, I am okay with that and okay with the outcome of the film. Would I watch it again? Yes, I definitely would watch it again!
No comments:
Post a Comment