Adapted from the graphic novel by Richard McGuire, “Here” is an experimental movie set in a century-old American house. Each scene offers a glimpse into the lives of four different families who lived in it at different times, narrating their dynamics, dreams, and disappointments.
Director Robert Zemeckis uses various elements to tell the tangled story of the house. The narrative opens with images of the house, transports the audience back to when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, and cleverly moves through the ages with the living room as the constant backdrop.
“Here” challenges the audience to consider their perception of time and space, as it mimics the unstoppable march of years and seasons, and the ageless nature of human experiences. The movie employs the use of digital makeup, allowing actors to portray the same character at different stages of life which leaves an uncanny, unnatural effect.
However, despite the concept's novelty, the focus on pioneering technical aspects seems to have deprived the film of a deeper emotional connect. Much of the narrative feels governed by generic representations, unexplored resolutions and fleeting moments of sentiment.
Zemeckis presents an interesting critique of the obsession with the future, revealing how anxieties about what has yet to come often rob the joy of the present. This idea is encapsulated in the ordinary living room, which has seen and holds a multitude of human experiences and dreams.
While “Here” grapples with ideas around the passage of time and the universality of human experiences, a reliance on cliché and the absence of depth in character development hinders the impact of the film. It provokes viewers to ponder on the alignment of different generations and the marks they leave behind in shared spaces, albeit in a manner that is underscored by a lack of emotional investment.
The film, in effect, remains an experimental metaphor for time, space, and human experience, nestled within a culturally ubiquitous sitcom-esque depiction of life inside a living room.
