|
How I Live Now
| Released |
4 October 2013 |
| Director |
Kevin MacDonald |
Starring
|
Saoirse Ronan, Tom Holland, George MacKay, Anna Chancellor, Sophie Ellis, Corey Johnson |
Writer(s)
|
Jeremy Brock, Tony Grisoni, Penelope Skinner, Jack Thorne |
Producer(s)
|
John Battsek, Alasdair Flind, Andrew Ruhemann, Charles Steel |
| Origin |
United Kingdom |
| Running Time |
101 minutes |
| Genre |
Action, drama, thriller |
| Rating |
15A |
|
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Talkin’ World War III blues.
Although it comes from the world of Young Adult Fiction, How I Live Now (from the novel by Meg Rosoff) is a very adult prospect as it reaches the screen. A tale defiantly free from magic and the supernatural, director Kevin Macdonald’s (The Last King of Scotland) foray into the adolescent field is uncompromisingly real - sometimes shockingly so.
The film follows American teenager Daisy (Saoirse Ronan) as she is sent to stay with cousins in an English farmhouse after a falling out with her father. Daisy is an angsty teenager, suffering from a touch of OCD as well as a deep disdain for her new living situation. Her coldness begins to melt when she becomes drawn to her quiet, sensitive cousin Edmond (George MacKay) and begins to enjoy the company of the children. Unfortunately, it is not long until their idyllic life is torn apart by the outbreak of World War III. The cousins are separated and must endure brutal hardships to find each other again.
At first, the ‘getting to know you’ phase of How I Live Now is nicely done but fairly unremarkable. There are teenage strops, followed by bucolic, sun dappled montages sound-tracked by Nick Drake. It is only after the outbreak of war that the film, Ronan’s performance, and indeed Macdonald really come into their own. Macdonald’s portrayal of the conflict is muted and subtle. There are no big battles, just glimpses of chaos; an ambush at a road blockade, a debauched raiding party in the woods at night and the trudge of everyday people caught up in the day to day running of a war. Even the detonation of the nuclear bomb that begins the conflict is felt rather than seen - a strong wind followed by an eerily beautiful rain of ash. It is this undramatic approach that makes How I Live Now so distressing and also so modern; a new World War would undoubtedly not be fought in the trenches.
Ronan meanwhile encases her brittle heroine in steel as she trails across the war-torn countryside with her young cousin Piper (Harley Bird) in tow. Their journey is uncompromisingly bleak, deeply affecting and doesn’t shy away from tragedy. Any little niggles I may have had (the voice-over device is a little clunky for example) are insignificant. Ultimately, How I Live Now is a timely, memorable film for more than just the Young Adult crowd.
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Linda O’Brien |
