Here

Here
Starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly
Directed by Robert Zemeckis

There's many times where I think about a place and wonder about its history. What existed there before? What will be in the future? I think about this a lot thinking about the place I grew up, and all the memories I had there - the good, the bad, and the mundane. What existed in this space before we built our home here? What will be here once we go? What are the memories we'll carry on? In a way, "Here" is a film that we see on screen about made-up characters living in one space in time in the past, present, and future - but in another way, it's a reflective look inside ourselves and the memories we have in the places we've lived in.

After the meteorite destroys the dinosaurs, and the Native Americans lived on the land, the home of Benjamin Franklin's illegitimate son William is constructed. Later, a house is built across from it, and it becomes inhabited by numerous families before being sold to World War II vet Al (Paul Bettany) and Rose (Kelly Reilly) Young in the 1945. They raise three children in the house, and their eldest, Richard (Tom Hanks) impregnates his girlfriend Margaret (Robin Wright), and they move into the house due to financial hardships. They remain in the house for decades, as the family goes through the highs and lows of life as we also see memories and events that've happened in that spot's history as well the future family that moves in after.

"Here" is an audacious outing by the great director Robert Zemeckis, who reunites with his "Forrest Gump" stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright in a film that is more a gimmick than anything - a movie where there's only one camera, set in one spot, and doesn't move. It's a daring risk that doesn't technically pay off in how you'd expect, but oddly it's a movie that'll hit everyone differently, based on their own memories. It's like a window into our past, what we've gone through, and appreciate the nuances of life all the more.

There's a lot said about the CGI in the film, most notably the de-aging processes of Hanks and Wright, and while it's not the best, it's not as bad as people say it is, at least in my opinion. While I noticed it, it didn't take me out of the moment, just made me think that they obviously had to do that to maintain the time. It wasn't nowhere as bad as other outings, and the simplicity of the movie helped overshadow it.

Tom Hanks and Robin Wright dominate the film as Richard and Margaret, as we spend most of the film's time with them. We see them fall in love, have a child, get married, and deal with all the marital and life hardships and joys that people experience, all happening within the confines of the one room. It allows your mind to wander to your own memories to what has happened in your life in your space, and the simple story keeps you focused on your memories as well. It's not a blockbuster, but rather a small, compact story that teeters on the line of emotional manipulation, but doesn't nose-dive into it.

The film is shot in a non-linear fashion with frames-within-the-frame transitions that travels throughout that spot's own timeline, which helps keep the film from becoming too stale - but in the opposite end, it also keeps us from really having emotional resonance with what's happening on screen. We get to see different stories that help keep your attention - from a 1910s couple dealing with the birth of aviation to a flamboyant 1940s couple who's husband is an innovative inventor to the modern-day owners and the special trials they have to go through, the story really sheds light and gives importance on what can happen in a small space.

While it doesn't entirely work in its emotional resonance, "Here" really allows you to relive your memories in the places you lived, and permits your mind to wander about what has happened in those particular spaces in the past, and what they'll be like in the future.

The Score: B