What happens when you take the cinematography out of a movie? The art of moving the camera, setting up precise angles, and using different lenses to gain a desired effect. Well, you end up with a film like “Here,” which is a movie that takes the art of cinematography out of the equation.
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As seen in the trailer, “Here” tells the story of a family who live in a house for their entire lives. But this is a film by Robert Zemeckis, so you know there has to be a gimmick, right? Well, the gimmick for “Here” is that the camera never moves. The entire film is told from a stationary camera that documents the lives of the people (and sometimes animals) who live on that very specific plot of land. From the dinosaurs all the way to the first humans and eventually Tom Hanks and Robin Wright. It’s all documented from one stationary camera.
Yes, you might have put it together already, but this Zemeckis film stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, which makes this a bit of a “Forrest Gump” reunion. Other people who show up are none other than Paul Bettany and Kelly Reilly, but as the trailer so clearly shows, this is really a showcase of Wright and Hanks.
Zemeckis’ output in recent years has been decidedly mixed. Sometimes it feels as if the gimmick over shadows the storytelling, for better or, more often, worse. And “Here” is chock full of gimmicks. Whether it’s the camera trick or the fact that de-aging is used to make both Wright and Hanks appear decades younger, the filmmaker is really using quite a few tricks in this heartfelt drama.
“Here” arrives in theaters on November 15. You can watch the trailer below: