You’ve seen the trailers. Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, looking like they stepped straight off the set of Forrest Gump, but they’re in a living room that somehow spans millions of years. It’s weird. It’s ambitious. Honestly, Here is probably the most "love it or hate it" movie of the decade.
Director Robert Zemeckis basically decided to throw the rulebook of cinematography into a woodchipper. He took a single camera, bolted it to the floor, and never moved it. Not once. Well, except for one tiny, digital drift at the very end, but for 104 minutes, you are staring at the exact same corner of a room.
The Gimmick That Changed Everything
Most movies use cuts and close-ups to tell you how to feel. If a character is sad, the camera zooms in. If there’s a chase, the editing gets frantic. Here doesn't do any of that. It relies on "panels"—little windows that pop up within the frame to show different eras happening at the same time.
Think of it like a live-action comic book.
The film is based on Richard McGuire’s 2014 graphic novel, which was equally experimental. We see dinosaurs perishing in the same spot where, eons later, a colonial family argues about Benjamin Franklin. Then comes the 20th century. The house is built, and we meet the Young family.
Tom Hanks and the Fountain of Youth
The biggest talking point is the technology. To make 68-year-old Tom Hanks look like a 18-year-old, the production used a tool called Metaphysic Live. This isn't your standard "smooth out the wrinkles" CGI. It’s a high-speed AI system that swapped the actors' faces in real-time on set.
Hanks and Wright could actually see their younger selves on the monitors while they were acting.
It’s impressive. But it’s also... a bit much? Some critics called it the "uncanny valley" at its peak. When a young Richard (Hanks) and Margaret (Wright) are dancing, there’s a slight glassiness to the eyes that reminds you you’re watching math, not just a person.
Still, the performances are genuinely there. Hanks has to play Richard from a teenager all the way into his 80s. He changes his posture, his voice, even the way he breathes. It’s a masterclass in physical acting that gets overshadowed by the tech.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Plot
If you go into Here expecting a linear story, you’ll be frustrated. It’s more of an "experience." The "main" plot follows Richard and Margaret as they live in Richard's childhood home, staying far longer than they ever intended.
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- The Struggle: Richard is an aspiring artist who takes a "temporary" job in insurance.
- The Parents: Paul Bettany and Kelly Reilly play Richard's parents, and their story is arguably the emotional backbone of the film.
- The Other Families: We get glimpses of an indigenous couple, a Black family during the COVID-19 pandemic, and an eccentric 1940s couple who invented the La-Z-Boy.
Critics weren't kind. The movie holds a 36% on Rotten Tomatoes. People complained it felt like a "museum installation" or a "glorified screensaver." But if you talk to the people who liked it, they describe a "meditative" quality. It forces you to look at how fast life moves. One minute you're 20 and dreaming of the world; the next, you're 80 and trying to remember where you left your keys in the same exact room.
The Real Location Mystery
The movie suggests the house is in New Jersey or Pennsylvania. There’s a lot of talk about William Franklin (Ben’s son) who lived across the street. In real life, William lived in Perth Amboy, NJ. But then the movie mentions the La-Z-Boy inventors, who were actually from Michigan.
Zemeckis basically created a "mythic America" location. It’s every-town and no-town at the same time.
The film cost around $45 million to make and only brought in about $16 million. That’s a "bomb" by Hollywood standards. But Zemeckis has never been one to play it safe. He’s the guy who gave us The Polar Express and Beowulf when everyone hated motion capture. He’s obsessed with the "next thing."
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How to Watch It (and Actually Enjoy It)
If you're going to watch Here, don't do it on your phone while folding laundry. You’ll miss the details in the background.
Watch for the transitions. A leaky roof in 1945 becomes a woman’s water breaking in 1960. A hummingbird in the prehistoric past "becomes" a decoration on a modern-day shelf. These "match cuts" are where the movie finds its soul.
It’s a movie about the passage of time. It’s about how we occupy spaces that were here long before us and will be here long after we’re gone. It’s melancholic, slightly tacky, and undeniably bold.
If you want to dive deeper into the themes, check out Richard McGuire’s original graphic novel first. It helps you understand the "language" of the film. Seeing how a six-page comic turned into a 300-page book and then a Tom Hanks blockbuster is a wild journey in itself.
Pay attention to the final shot. It’s the only time the camera moves, and it feels like taking a first breath after being underwater for two hours. It’s a reminder that while the room stayed the same, the world kept turning.
Actionable Takeaways for Movie Buffs
- Compare the Eras: Watch for how the wallpaper and furniture change; the production design team actually mapped out the evolution of American interior design over 100 years.
- Look for the Gump Easter Eggs: While not a sequel, the "vibe" is intentional. The same writer (Eric Roth) and cinematographer (Don Burgess) were brought back to capture that specific nostalgia.
- Check the Graphics: If the "panels" feel overwhelming, try focusing on the center of the frame first, then let your eyes wander to the windows as they appear.
- Analyze the AI: Compare the de-aging in Here to The Irishman or Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. You'll notice the skin textures in Here are much more reactive to light because of the "Live" system used.
The best way to appreciate Here is to accept it as an art experiment rather than a traditional drama. It won't be for everyone, but you'll definitely have something to talk about once the credits roll.