Jakarta. An unmoving camera can be a hit-or-miss, but the bold decision to have the same point of view throughout a movie proves to be worth it in Robert Zemeckis’ latest drama film “Here”. The movie’s nonlinear storytelling also amplifies what the movie is trying to show: the circle of life.

“Here” -- starring “Forrest Gump” stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright -- is a story that spans centuries, even dating back to the dinosaur era. The 104-minute film uses non-chronological storytelling. Sometimes we go back in time to the 1960s, move forward to the Covid-19 era, and return to the past. But no matter how much time has passed, “Here” only focuses on a single piece of land.

The movie tells the lives of multiple families from the lens of a camera set in a living room. Although each of these families has their own struggles, they all go through joy and disappointments just like any other human being. That spot of land becomes a witness to many deaths, pregnancies, and Christmas celebrations. Their children grow up to be adults with kids of their own and the cycle continues. As the characters grow older, we see them grieving over lost dreams -- a situation that many of us have gone through. We see how the once-young and energetic characters turn frail. 

All these changes taking place in one single room really amplifies the sense of how time flies and how inevitable the circle of life is.

Instead of boldly showing the year in letters, “Here” -- which is based on Richard McGuire’s 2014 graphic novel -- also relies on the film sets, particularly the furniture in the living room, to show what era the story is currently in. As a case in point, just take a look at the TV which grows thinner in time. The TV will sometimes show series or artists (e.g. The Beatles) that were popular in that era.

Hanks plays Richard Young, a baby boomer and a skilled painter. He marries girlfriend Margaret (Robin Wright) who has dreams of her own. Despite being the “main couple” in the poster, “Here” does not mainly focus on the Richard-Margaret family. The other families, including Richard’s dad Al (Paul Bettany) and mom Rose (Kelly Reilly), also have a good amount of screentime. Aside from the fixed point of view, Zemeckis uses de-aging technology to turn Hanks and Wright into teenagers instead of casting younger actors. Luckily, the de-aged couple looks natural, although this could be thanks to the movie’s lack of close-up shots.

“Here” is currently playing in Indonesian cinemas.

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