The Playlist:
Note the title, “How I Live Now,” and its absence of colons, commas, or other punctuation implying further installments—it’s the first sign of the crucial immediacy to Meg Rosoff’s 2004 YA novel, now brought to the screen by “Last King of Scotland” director Kevin Macdonald. The second is impossible to miss—a nuclear bomb detonation in near-future London—and while the film delivers a dystopian teen romance in the center of its aftermath, an unnerving atmosphere and surprising brutality actually creates tangible jeopardy and tension throughout. That clash of R-rated approach and broad melodrama proves an uneven pitch at times but Macdonald’s signature intensity, combined with another sneak attack performance from Saoirse Ronan, assembles a thrilling genre entry that stands firmly alongside its contemporaries in terms of quality.
WGTC writes: Last week I had the opportunity to talk with Ronan and Macdonald while they were at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles, California for the How I Live Now press junket. In our exclusive video interview, they spoke about the challenges of adapting Rosoff’s novel for the big screen, how Ronan handled her character’s transition from being neurotic to strong-willed, how the songs in the soundtrack were chosen, and much more.
WGTC writes: With jarring tonal shifts between a teen romance and a bleak wartime drama, How I Live Now is an off-kilter, morally problematic film that a great young cast cannot save.
TF:
Six months on from flop Stephenie Meyer adap The Host, Saoirse Ronan makes a renewed bid to become the new K-Stew/J-Law, as the lead in another dystopian near future romance – this time based on Meg Rosoff’s award-winning YA bestseller.
Director Kevin Macdonald has been here before, sort of, with The Eagle, and goes all-out on the war-torn portion. But his handling of the almost-incestuous romance feels clichéd, with its sickly score and sun-dappled loveliness.
Whether it’s the use of natural light or the aftermath of the terrorists’ brutality, How I Live Now looks terrific. It also feels like two tales grafted together.
It’s not helped by the dialogue sounding so ‘written’, the young cast acting like time-travelling E. Nesbit characters or the most intriguing elements – the telepathy – being jettisoned.
An odd mishmash of prim’n’grim, then. Close, but no S-Ro.
I saw the trailer and I like her so I want to see this one.