The film, Here, which was released in theaters in November of 2024, is based in one specific house, but travels through time to show us the many families that lived there since its beginning.
The main character Richard Young, played by Tom Hanks, is the most recent owner of the house. The movie focuses on his love story with Margaret Young, played by Robin Wright, that grew in the house since he was a teenager, to his adulthood, and then when it ended in his older age. The director, Robert Zemeckis, not only produced this drama, but also previously worked with Tom Hanks to produce Forrest Gump.
In between the story of his love and his family, we see flashbacks to different eras in time when previous owners created memories in the house. Since the house remained the setting throughout and the camera stayed angled on a certain part of the house for most of the movie, transitions were seamless between each time period. To signal that the time period was about to change, a white frame appeared somewhere on the previous scene and the image in the frame slowly became the entire screen.
We see the land during Colonial America and when the house was built. Throughout the movie, it even jumped way further back to prehistoric times when the land was there without human activity. It had Computer Generated dinosaurs running through the screens and volcanic lava erupting on the site of the future home. The CGI was realistic and captured the magnificence that this land would once become how it is in present times.
Some of my favorite scenes are when new families move into the house. Whether it be couples or families with children, the movie allowed viewers to see their life unfold in this one house. Story after story, and moment after moment shared in this home.
Although many viewers might think it is hard to adjust to the pretty frequent changes and shifts to different time periods, I think that is what makes the movie so uniquely special. It features the love that was shared there by showing moments during holiday gatherings and everyday life.
When RCHS students were asked if they enjoy films that jump through different time periods or happen from beginning to end, there were some very mixed feelings. Out of the 102 people who responded to the poll, 43 people said they found non-linear storylines to be confusing and not easy to understand. The other 46 people who responded said they could easily figure out the plot and didn’t feel that nonlinear movies were confusing.
Although sometimes it takes concentration and focus to get to know the characters and understand what is going on, I think sometimes that is part of the experience. It makes the movie that much more powerful because we see this one home go through so many different things that sometimes it is hard to keep track of.
The movie is special, as it shows the busyness and stress of life but also the beauty and happiness of life, just all in one house. To watch highlights of the movie, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke99tMUbH0c.
