How I Live Now - Cinema Review

How I Live Now is an odd cocktail of genres, appearing initially almost like a comedy before gradually taking on romantic elements and finally diving into harsh apocalyptic drama. This might make the film sound indecisive but all the close character-focused set up empowers the second half of the film by giving us real characters we've come to know thrown into a world we very much don't.

At first i was all prepared to hate this film.

The protagonist is a prickly, insecure teenager called Daisy who winds up reluctantly and resentfully at her cousin's home in the English countryside after living with her also much resented father in New York. At first it's a fish out of water scenario and Daisy seethes and despises everyone around her. It isn't until ripped country bumpkin Eddie enters the scene that her interest is piqued and she slowly warms to the family.

So far so moody teenager in unfamiliar twee rural lifestyle, but then hints of disruption elsewhere in the world begin filtering into the story. Starting with vague sugarcoated tv and radio reports moving onto sudden weather abnormalities. The real world creeps into Daisy's new life and it becomes apparent that this is what she left New York to try and avoid. The foreboding circumstances help Daisy and Eddie grow closer and the film handles this relationship very naturally, giving it time to grow and subside where needed. They feel like two real and unique people who each have something to offer the other.

You almost forget that they're cousins and that this is kind of weird...

Unfortunately the film doesn't get to explore this further before becoming an end of the world drama and separating the lovers but perhaps this best reflects love's fleeting brilliance before the world notices and stamps out the flame. The boot, in this instance, comes in the form of a military enforced evacuation due to nuclear terrorism spreading to England. The characters are forcefully torn apart and Daisy returns to the dead-eyed soul we saw at the start of the film. This girl has only love to live for and this fuels her escape with her youngest cousin to try and find their way back to Eddie and the farm.

This brings in days of harsh survival, trekking through the woods overcoming real dangers and their own internal doubts. The film is now miles away from where it started and it's debatable whether this embodies a great journey or confused schizophrenia. The film ends up drawing similarities with films like The Road and Children Of Men which personally ticks all my boxes but i fear for many the oppressive dark realism might be too depressing.

Things get fucked up basically...

Despite this the film recaptures some of its magic towards the end with a finale that blends the two halves of the film quite well, being both ambiguous in some areas and giving closure in others. The main change is in the protagonist Daisy who becomes stronger as the need arises for all her surviving family. Saoirse Ronan delivers some intensely powerful acting throughout and the film's editing and score compliment this extremely well.

Ultimately i enjoyed the film but it does feel as though it tries to do too much. In places this creates a truly unique setting and story whilst in others it feels like a schizophrenic combination of other films. That said if you enjoy apocalypse films or just want something intense and character driven i would still highly recommend it.