Review: Robert Zemeckis' HERE is a Beautiful and Heartfelt Film
Robert Zemeckis’ Here is a beautiful, heartfelt, and wonderfully moving film that took me on an emotional rollercoaster. It’s a cinematic experience that feels as if it takes hold of you quietly, leading you on a journey through time, memory, and the messy beauty of human life.
This is a fascinating and unique film, especially in the way it tells its story, with a fixed camera that observes a single location, while everything around it changes with the passage of time.
The camera never shifts, zooms, or moves, and yet the story unfolds across generations. It’s a remarkably immersive experience, making you feel like you're witnessing the raw, unfiltered reality of life.
The passage of time is Here’s true storyteller, moving relentlessly forward as families come and go, love flourishes and fades, and memories accumulate.
Watching the story play out in this way really draws you in, allowing every detail and nuance to sink in. The emotional impact is almost overwhelming at times as it’s filled with life’s highs and lows. Life is unpredictable, and Here captures that beautifully, the joy and heartbreak existing side by side in this small but meaningful space.
As a father of three daughters who are pretty much grown up, I found Here especially relatable and moving. It’s a hard reminder of just how fast life goes by. One day, you’re raising kids, and before you know it, they’re adults with lives of their own.
It feels like Zemeckis taps into this sense of fleeting time, showing how quickly moments slip away, and this resonated with me. There’s a bittersweet nostalgia throughout the film, especially as it captures not just the big moments but the quiet, everyday ones that, ultimately, define our lives.
I felt the story strike a personal chord, reminding me to hold onto what truly matters because time, once lost, is gone forever.
The film stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, who both deliver powerful, memorable performances that feel real and grounded.
Hanks plays Richard, a baby boomer we follow through multiple stages of his life. Through skillful makeup and digital effects, we see Hanks portray Richard from his young adulthood in the 1960s to his later years, even aging him into his late 80s.
Watching Hanks transform back and forth across decades is mesmerizing, as he captures the essence of a man shaped by time.
Wright plays Margaret, who becomes Richard’s girlfriend and eventually his wife, guiding him through both the intimate and trying moments of life. Her character is lively, bringing a warmth to the story, and it’s clear she and Hanks share a chemistry that makes their relationship feel layered and authentic.
The film is based on Richard McGuire’s graphic novel of the same name, described as a “breathtaking and revolutionary odyssey through time and memory.”
Taking the concept of memory and rooting it firmly in a single place in New England, where wilderness gradually gives way to a home. Generations live, love, and struggle here, and this single space becomes a canvas for their collective memories.
The supporting cast, including Michelle Dockery, Gwilym Lee, David Fynn, Ophelia Lovibond, Nicholas Pinnock, Nikki Amuka-Bird, and Paul Bettany, round out the film with strong performances.
Though the film may not be performing well at the box office, Here is a cinematic achievement that deserves to be seen on the big screen.
Zemeckis has crafted something remarkable, a meditation on the way we live, the legacies we leave behind, and the bittersweet, fleeting nature of time.
It’s a reminder that the most important moments often happen right where we are, that life, though brief and unpredictable, is still filled with moments of profound beauty.
This is a wonderful movie-going experience.