How I Live Now – Film Review
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, George MacKay, Tom Holland and Harley Bird
Release Date: Oct 4
How I Live Now, the film adaptation of Meg Rosoff’s novel, builds up slowly and eventually reveals a well crafted and emotional story. Moments of horror, ecstasy, despair and grim acceptance are expressed through narrative, visuals and music. It shows that Kevin Macdonald is undoubtedly a skilled storyteller and director, and, if nothing else, this film should certainly arouse interest in his other works. The problems that the film suffers from are technically quite minute, but unfortunately are quite glaring in contrast to the more exceptional scenes.
Saoirse Ronan is Daisy, an angst-ridden, rebellious teenager who is sent on holiday to the English countryside by her dismissive father. While there, she reluctantly connects with her three relentlessly cheerful cousins, Edmond (MacKay), Piper (Bird) and Isaac (Holland). Over the course of a few days, just as her icy exterior begins to thaw, she finds herself witnessing the breakout of World War III…
The words that should stand out quite painfully in this synopsis are angst-ridden and rebellious. It would be nice to see a film where the teenage protagonist doesn’t make a big deal out of the fact that they have hit puberty, and just gets on with the story without moping about, crying because Daddy wouldn’t buy them a pony.
To be fair, the stuff Daisy has to deal with is a lot more serious than that, but does anyone really want a film that revolves around an angsty teen? We don’t like hanging out with them in real life, why should we have to watch their ‘antics’ when there’s a perfectly good apocalypse happening in the background that should be getting more screentime?
It’s difficult to say whether this next sentence is a compliment or a criticism, but Saoirse Ronan just doesn’t have it in her to be a bitch. And Daisy is a grade-A bitch for the first half hour of the film. This entire section delivers what is easily the weakest portion of Ronan’s performance, emphasizing the fact that she has typically always been cast in tragic waif roles, as someone with soulful eyes and melodrama coming out of her ears. Daisy is the kind of girl who is probably supposed to come off as naturally defensive, but she is practically a cartoon character in the way she antagonizes people.
As the film progresses, things get a little better. Daisy is a pretty demanding role when you consider the impressive arc her character undergoes during the narrative. She is a personality with multiple layers and experiences almost every extreme emotion you can imagine. Strangely, Ronan seems to be able to tackle certain specific emotions quite well, but others only adequately, suggesting that, while making an admirable attempt, she has bitten off just a little more than she can chew.
Her work on Hanna is evident in her performance here, as there are many moments where she is forced into tackling very adult situations. These are easily the most impressive moments in her story and can be utterly chilling in their execution. An encounter with two unsavory characters, from the 28 Days Later school of lechery, will give you goosebumps, and another in an abandoned station approaches Oscar winning performances in its intensity. These moments are almost poetic, and nicely complimented by a very gritty atmosphere.
However, these excellent moments of intense drama share the spotlight with some very Twilight-esque melodrama, bizarre dream sequences that feel very out of place and plenty of spoken-out-loud soliloquy which just doesn’t work in this realistic world that Macdonald has created.
These moments are employed for the sake of a romance subplot that is functional at best, but is underwhelming in its overall conclusion, not aided by a fairly bland and uninteresting Tom Holland as love interest. It’s obvious how it might play such a major role in the novel, nicely balancing out the grim situations that Daisy faces but it’s the least interesting part of the film by far.
In contrast, an area that the film excels in is in giving us a glimpse at the more idyllic childhood that is lost by war-torn countries and, suggestively, by modern day contraptions like the Internet and mobile phones. The house that Daisy finds herself in is so warm and inviting, the initial comparison to be made is with the Burrow from ‘Harry Potter’. It appears magical in its isolation from the rest of society and its Eden-like setting which, incidentally, almost demands a disaster to hit it. Until that happens though, you’ll be quite happy to let these moments just wash over you like a warm wave of disconnected nostalgia.
A big help in this is the talented Harley Bird as the pixie-like Piper. Her only previous role being the voice of Peppa Pig, it’s quite surprising that she is such a capable actress at this early stage in her career. Her character is intrinsically upbeat, funny and lovable, undeterred even by Daisy’s initial monstrously bitchy attitude. When things start to get grim, it is her we feel for more than anyone else. She doesn’t fall apart as you might expect, but tugs at the heartstrings through nuanced little actions and musings.
Other character roles are a little too minute to pass comment on. MacKay, as Edmond, is a nice supplement for Piper, but his main function is to simply be an expression of blank innocence upon which Daisy can project her angst onto. And while he does this well, in sharing his scenes with the Mr. Hyde version of Daisy, he isn’t given a chance to really shine.
Overall, How I Live Now could easily be divided into two films. It is genuinely powerful and gripping when examining the themes of lost innocence, worthy of 4 or even 5/5. However, the inclusion of some occasionally dodgy acting and a sub-par tween romance drags it down to Twilight levels of cheesy.
Score: 3/5
Written by Stephen Hill
