How I Live Now

DISCLAIMER: I haven't read the book. Don't hate on me. 

Based on the eponymous novel by Meg Rosoff, How I Live Now is the latest to jump on the Young Adult adaptation bandwagon and, following in the footsteps of other dystopian and apocalyptic themed stories, this one's set during the onset of a fictional World War III.

Given the film's potentially high-concept logline, the plot itself is almost disappointingly simple. 16-year-old New Yorker Elizabeth (who, if you don't mind, prefers to be known as Daisy - played by the talented Saoirse Ronan) is sent to stay with her cousins for a summer in the English countryside after her father remarries. These cousins are ragtag hooligans in Daisy's initial opinion, but once she finally settles in the world is turned upside down following a nuclear explosion in London. Daisy and her youngest cousin Piper (Harley Bird) are separated from Piper's brothers (George MacKay and Tom Holland) and must find their way back to them whilst trying to survive in what is now a dangerous, military overrun territory. 

The film is typically teenage - Ronan plays the supercilious stereotype until she warms to her well-meaning cousins, hitting all the expected plot points of young love, complete with a catchy soundtrack. The cinematography is genre-appropriate with a beautiful, vibrant colour palette. However there are some oddities that separate How I Live Now from its predecessors, not many of which are advantageous. I was curious about the film once I realised it had been rated MA15+, unusual given the demographic of viewers - which I assume to be 13-17-year-old females. The protagonists are on the younger side in the novel and have subsequently been bumped up a few years to justify the language and violence that go far and beyond the level of intensity in, say, The Hunger Games. Shocking moments - a young character's violent death, a teenager shooting two people, frightening dream sequences and more dead bodies and f*** you's than we asked for - burst forth between long lulls, more uncomfortable than rational. 

The countryside setting gives off a 28-Days-Later-esque vibe, intensifying the obvious imbalance of both pace and content. The second half rockets at twice the speed of the first, and the character relationships (last time I checked, cousins kissing each other is otherwise known as incest??) make Katniss and Peeta look mature. 

Overall the biggest downfall is, as usual, character development. Daisy is given just enough traits for Ronan to make her vaguely interesting, but not enough for us to really invest in her. With a film title such as How I Live Now, one would expect to see the Before, but the story starts too late and never gives us any flashbacks to Daisy's life in America, dulling our impression of her character growth. We're left distracted by minor details like wishing the gem Tom Holland had more screen time or how Ronan unfortunately doesn't get to perform in her native Irish accent. In the end, How I Live Now leaves you wanting, but you're not exactly sure what for. 

VERDICT: Teenage fans of 28 Days Later, Tomorrow When The War Began or The Hunger Games franchise will want to catch this one on the big screen, however the lack of thrilling action sequences merits a miss until DVD for the rest of us. See Catching Fire instead, especially if you're a young viewer.

The Andersonian Kingdom

I can't pretend to know a whole heap about Wes Anderson's film world - I've only seen a couple of his films, but I'm going to throw it out there that Moonrise Kingdom might possibly be one of his best.

My experience so far of anything Andersonian (Life Aquatic, Fantastic Mr. Fox ... The Darjeeling Limited is also patiently awaiting me in a pile of rentals in the living room) has been enjoyable enough, but I still hadn't fallen altogether in love with his style. Nevertheless, I knew Moonrise Kingdom would be worth a watch ... but I really underestimated the power and beauty of this film.

Moonrise is the story of twelve-year-olds Sam and Suzy: penpals who fall in love and decide to run away together, causing a party of boy scouts, parents, island police and even Social Services to go gallivanting around in search of them.

The great thing about this film compared to the rest of Anderson's is that he's finally decided to go period - which actually fits his filming style. Anderson is extremely old-fashioned is his framing and shooting techniques so setting his story in 1965 is just about the best timezone he could possible throw himself into. Surprisingly, he was born in 1969 ... definitely one of those people not quite born in the right era.


I love it when new films makes reference to older classic films, stories or directors that started a genre or a movement or a style, and Anderson pays homage to many greats in Moonrise, including Shawshank Redemption, Stanley Kubrick, and Peter Pan ... but his biggest influence is most certainly Pierrot Le Fou by Jean-Luc Godard.

Obviously Anderson has a huge love for this film, as there are some uncanny resemblances: Pierrot Le Fou was filmed in 1965, for one; both films center around a couple on the run, Suzy's clothing reflects style icon Anna Karina, and the female protagonists of both films use scissors as a weapon. The scene in Moonrise that most brings Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina to mind is, of course, the beach scene.

I couldn't find amazing pictures of either film, but below you can see how watching Sam and Suzy dance together on the beach instantly reminded me of a Godard film.

The only things I can really fault are the cinematography - incredible shots most of the time but the occasional sloppy/soft frames - and the use of some of the cameos. I'm a big Coen Brothers fan so it was a shame to see Frances McDormand's amazing talent go a little to waste, as well as Tilda Swinton. Both these women rock on screen so I was disappointed that they weren't really in it much. At the same time I'm not sure how I would have felt if Anderson had used lesser known or even unknown actors for the parts, because there's still a great magic and nostalgia brought by the various big-name supports; you remember all the other films you've seen them in as you're watching it, which is part of what makes Moonrise special. It conjures up memories of past stories, real and fictional, and you start wishing you were a kid again. I think most Anderson films give you that feeling.


For all it's bizarreness, I absolutely loved this movie, and I really recommend you go and see it, especially if you're a lover of classics, or you're feeling nostalgic for your childhood, or you just want to run away and fall in love.