Movie Review: How I Live Now

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I was first introduced to "How I Live Now" when I worked at the library back in middle school. The YA novel by Meg Rosoff was a fresh new perspective on young love in a time when Twilight was booming.

The film, starring one of my favourite actresses, Saoirse Ronan, and directed Kevin Macdonald ("The Last King of Scotland") follows the same plot line.

In the not-so-distant future, Ronan plays Daisy, a complex American teenager. She is sent to the UK to stay with her cousins in the country side. Her cousin, Isaac (Tom Holland), a precocious fourteen year old picks her up at the airport and she is incredulous that he's driving her. Beneath this humour there is political tension, world powers are on the brink of war. Daisy arrives at the country house and is at first reluctant to enjoy the beauty and freedom that is available. Her aunt leaves the children as she must go to Geneva, they are then free to roam and enjoy the summer. Daisy quickly falls in love with the place... and her older cousin, Eddie (George MacKay).

Yes, I said cousin. Moving on.

They are quickly ripped apart when London experiences a nuclear attack. The UK is declared a military state and the girls are put into a foster home where they ration water tablets by night and work in farm labour camps by day.  The boys, sixteen and fourteen, are conscripted to fighting the unknown enemy. From here they promise to meet back at home, Daisy plans her escape, following dreams of Eddie and knowing she must return to meet him.
Watch out for this talented young cast!

Ignoring the incestuous undertones, the film really is beautiful. The young actors have so much depth and really do the story justice. Raw cinematography and strong performances move the film along. Saoirse Ronan is the perfect balance of annoying angsty-in-love teen caught in the middle of war with a cast of other talents. The writing could have been a bit better with dialogue or the use of voice overs but over all the film succeeds in telling a broken love story.

"How I Live Now" is a lesson in subtlety, Macdonald unfolds the story by what we don't see.

A masterful example of this is the scene where the nuclear bomb goes off, you don't see anything. You are just there enjoying a summer day with the children in the countryside when all of a sudden the dogs go off barking, a gust of wind comes from nowhere, the sound of something BIG goes off and then ash begins to fall.  The youngest cousin, Piper (Harley Bird), begins to dance - "It's snowing!"

How haunting and eerie.

7/10 Stars


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