By Andre Paras
Staff Writer
Film director Robert Zemeckis has reunited with the stars and crew of “Forrest Gump” for his latest movie, “Here,” released on Oct. 31. This is Zemeckis’ fifth film collaboration with actor Tom Hanks.
The movie’s gimmick is that it’s all filmed at one spot, with the same angle for the film’s entire duration. The camera only moves once, and as a result, it feels like a play directly adapted to a movie.
Centered around a New England home’s living room, this ambitious story spans from the dawn of time up until present day, with a focus on the 20th century to today. It follows different families who’ve lived at this house, with the main focus on co-stars Hanks and Robin Wright, who play the married couple, Richard and Margaret Young.
“Here” is also an adaptation of Richard McGuire’s graphic novel of the same name, capturing the same place over time. This film pays homage to that nicely through transitions that look like photographs, navigating similar sentiments that characters face in different eras.
One particular scene I loved was the wedding between Richard and Margaret, soundtracked with a TV playing a live performance of The Beatles’ song “All My Loving.” The sound and TV were carried over from a previous scene’s transition but continued to play throughout the wedding.
Zemeckis is a director known for pushing the boundaries of filmmaking technology. Along with “Forrest Gump,” he’s also famous for the time traveling “Back to the Future” trilogy, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” combining animation and live-action and “The Polar Express,” the first full-length film to use motion capture animation.
With this, it makes sense that Zemeckis is eager to explore new technologies in his films, and boldly take on this type of singular perspective for storytelling. In this vein, “Here” uses artificial intelligence along with its filmmaking.
“We couldn’t make the movie five years ago, so it was very, very fortunate that this tool arrived right when we needed it,” Zemeckis told The Hollywood Reporter.
“Here” uses AI aging and de-aging to cover this long-term relationship between Hanks and Wright. What’s important is Zemeckis’ use of AI as a creative tool — not something to replace another artist.
However, with such a big age gap, the de-aging process ends up looking more uncanny than realistic as you watch 68-year-old Hanks run around as a teenage boy with the same voice he has now. Understandably, some audiences have been pretty upset with this choice.
Still, Hanks and Wright have dynamic performances, acting as young as teenagers to as old as senior citizens, while having to emulate those specific mannerisms and movements.
Of this age range, it was surprising to hear what Hanks found most difficult to play.
“The hardest for us was when we were playing 35. That time when your metabolism stops, gravity starts tearing you down, your bones start wearing off,” he told Entertainment Tonight.
“Here” is a great, quaint and sentimental piece of American history. I was nostalgic for a time I hadn't grown up in, featuring the transition from radio to television, to projecting your own family videos at home. Media, whether broadcasted on TV or the radio, is another great way of immersion into the film’s time periods.
As a filmmaker myself, I was inspired by how engaged I could be with a movie all shot and locked in one location with one perspective. It inspires me to try the same with short stories of my own, or to be more observant and appreciative of the same house my own family has lived in my whole life.
It’s easy for those cynical of the movie to be unforgiving with its technological flaws or proclaim it as saccharine, but as an artist, it’s fun to see Zemeckis be bold and challenge the medium, seeing what sticks and what doesn’t.
However, with a $50 million budget, “Here” has only grossed $5 million in its first weekend at the box office, flopping with its mixed critical reception and poor advertising, according to Forbes,
Since a lot of the main crew is carried over from “Forrest Gump,” this film tackles history, romance, family and the passage of time really well. It does this in arguably corny or overly sentimental ways at times. However, if you’re prepared to accept this while watching the film, it’s a really tenderly made and charming flick.
With all the sentiments I hold with “Here,” I hope to see it gain more legs in the future — or at the very least, see some critical reevaluation down the line. It was a great family watch for me, and something I’d also recommend for the holiday season.
