---
title: "Here"
year: 2024
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/here"
fi1m_id: "here"
imdb_id: "tt18272208"
tmdb_id: 940139
wikidata_id: "Q112054756"
fi1m_score: 40
critics_score: 42
critics_reviews: 13
published: "2026-09-12"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:55.636064+00:00"
region: "AE"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Here (2024)

Directed by Robert Zemeckis · 1h 44m · Drama

## Identity

Here

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/here
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** here
- **IMDb ID:** tt18272208
- **TMDB ID:** 940139
- **Wikidata ID:** Q112054756
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18272208/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/940139, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q112054756

**Fi1m score: 40** · Critics 42 from 13 reviews

*In a sentence:* A century in one living room and not a single line you would repeat at dinner

> Robert Zemeckis parks a camera in one living room for a century and finds a good idea with almost no story to go with it. Robin Wright and one late scene are worth something; the de-aged faces and the announcing dialogue are not.

## Synopsis

Robert Zemeckis fixes a camera on one patch of ground and does not move it for 104 minutes. Before there is a house there is only the land; then the house goes up, and the families who live in its front room come and go across a century. At the centre are Richard (Tom Hanks) and Margaret (Robin Wright), who meet young and grow old there, with Paul Bettany and Kelly Reilly as Al and Rose, the generation before them. The years arrive as panels that open over the frame, so that one decade sits inside another. Hanks and Wright play their characters across most of a lifetime, with digital help. Adapted by Zemeckis and Eric Roth from Richard McGuire’s graphic novel.

## Review

Robert Zemeckis has built a film on a single rule: the camera does not move. It looks at one patch of ground for 104 minutes, from before there are people on it, through the building of a house, to the present day, and the years arrive as rectangles that slide in over the frame like windows opening on other decades. The idea comes from Richard McGuire’s graphic novel, which does the same thing on paper. It is a good idea, and we sat down wanting it to work. What Zemeckis and Eric Roth have hung on it is a family drama so thin that the house is more interesting than anyone who lives in it.

For a while the trick holds. Don Burgess lights the living room the same way in every era, so that when the edit opens a panel in one corner, a Christmas in one decade over a summer afternoon in another, the two pictures meet without an edge you can spot. Ashley Lamont redresses the same few square feet a dozen times, wallpaper, furniture, television, bigger television, and Joanna Johnston’s costumes do most of the work of telling us the year. We were interested for twenty minutes, the way you are interested in a well-made toy. Then we started waiting for a story.

The story is Richard (Tom Hanks) and Margaret (Robin Wright), who meet young and grow old in this room, and Al (Paul Bettany) and Rose (Kelly Reilly), the generation before them. Hanks and Wright are de-aged for much of the running time, and this is where the film lost us. Young Richard’s face is smooth in a way skin is not, the mouth a fraction behind the words, the eyes fixed while the rest of him moves. We found it uncomfortable, then dull, then uncomfortable again, and we could never stop looking at the join. Hanks at his own age is fine. Hanks made young is a computer’s guess at a photograph.

The script does not help. Zemeckis and Roth write people who announce what they feel and then announce what year it is, and the fixed camera means they must do it from the sofa. Other households pass through the house for a scene or two, and history stops in when it has a costume to show us, then leaves before anyone in it has become a person. Nothing can be followed out of the door, so every scene ends when its panel closes, and Goldsmith has to cut the century into pieces a minute or two long. Nothing is allowed to build.

Wright is the reason to stay. Margaret is the one character who wants something the house cannot give her, and Wright plays the wanting without the script’s help, mostly in how she looks at the door. Bettany has one good scene of sour domestic cruelty and makes it count. Alan Silvestri’s score is quiet for long stretches and then swells exactly when you expect it to, which is a pity, because the quiet passages are the better ones. And there is a scene near the end we will not describe, two people in a room they both know too well, that got at us more than the preceding ninety minutes had earned. We were surprised, and slightly cross to be surprised so late.

Zemeckis, Hanks, Wright and Roth made [*Forrest Gump*](https://film.one/film/forrest-gump) together in 1994, and Burgess, Johnston and Silvestri were on that film too. It also ran a small life through big history, and it at least gave the history a joke or a song. This one gives it a change of wallpaper. Zemeckis has spent much of the last two decades testing what a camera can be made to do, and this is his most disciplined experiment in years. It is also the one with the least in it.

The 12 certificate is right. Watch it at home if you must watch it, where the panels shrink towards the size of the pages they came from and the effect makes more sense. The camera never leaves the room. About an hour in, we rather wished it would.

*Fi1m score 40, published 12 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics find Here an ambitious experiment that does not work. The fixed camera, holding one spot across a century, is widely credited as a bold idea, and several reviews call the early stretches mesmerising. Almost nobody thinks the idea sustains a film. The complaints cluster around three things: the de-ageing of Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, which many find uncanny; the sentimentality, described repeatedly as schmaltz or treacle; and a story that reduces history to set dressing around one ordinary family. Where praise appears, it goes to the two leads, and to Wright in particular.

The spread is wide. Deadline and Eye for Film treat it as a noble experiment worth the stumbles, and Empire finds some poignancy in the final act. The British broadsheets are the harshest: The Times and The Telegraph judge it close to a disaster. The middle ground, at The AV Club and Collider, settles for calling it an interesting gimmick rather than a finished film.

## Straight answers

**Is Here worth watching?**

*Here* is not worth watching for most people, and we scored it 40. Robert Zemeckis's fixed camera and the panels that open one decade over another are a good idea, but the family drama hung on them is thin, the de-aged faces of Tom Hanks and Robin Wright are hard to look at, and the dialogue announces feelings rather than showing them. Wright and one late scene are the reasons to stay if you do.

**How long is Here, and what is it rated?**

*Here* runs 1h 44m. It is a drama film.

**Where can I watch Here in the UAE?**

*Here* is not on any streaming or rental service in the UAE at the moment. It is available in 1 other country; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How does Here compare to Boyhood?**

*Here* is the weaker film by some distance, and [*Boyhood*](https://film.one/film/boyhood) is the one to choose. Both follow a family across years, but Linklater filmed his cast as they aged, so the changing faces carry the story, where Zemeckis relies on digital de-ageing that never quite convinces. *Boyhood* is tender and funny; *Here* is a clever camera trick in search of people worth watching.

**What should I watch after Here?**

After *Here*, try [*Boyhood*](https://film.one/film/boyhood) (2014, Fi1m 88): Twelve years of one family, filmed as they aged, with no digital help required. Then [*Russian Ark*](https://film.one/film/russian-ark) (2002, Fi1m 78): Centuries of history in one building and one unbroken take, and it moves; and [*Tokyo Story*](https://film.one/film/tokyo-story) (1953, Fi1m 92): A low, still camera and a family drifting apart, done with almost no dialogue about it.

### Reviews we read (22)

- **Little White Lies**, David Jenkins (3/3/2): The critic views it as a conceptually intriguing but ultimately contrived folly that fails to land emotionally despite Zemeckis's ambition. It singles out the heavy-handed sentimentality and uncanny valley effects for complaint. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/here-2025)
- **The AV Club** (C): The critic views the film as an ambitious but undercooked experiment in non-linear storytelling that becomes simplistic and caged by clichés, lacking the source material's elegance or irony. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/here-review)
- **Film Comment**, Genevieve Yue (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the film's fixed-camera, time-portal conceit compelling and technically dazzling but deems the story thin and solipsistic, with history reduced to set dressing around an ordinary hero's personal life. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/come-to-my-window-here-robert-zemeckis-review/)
- **Slant Magazine** (1.5/4): The critic deems it a mawkish high-concept misfire that flattens drama through fragmented editing and broad-stroke presentation, feeling fake and over-manicured. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/here-review-tom-hanks-robin-wright/)
- **The Telegraph**, Tim Robey (1/5): The review condemns the film as a disastrous, garish tomb and an insult to being alive, criticizing the forced main characters, crude handling of history, cringey de-ageing, and gooey schmaltz that turns the fixed-camera concept into purgatory. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/here-review-tom-hanks-robin-wright/)
- **Vulture** (20/100, inferred): The critic calls it the biggest pile of schmaltz of the year, with the fixed-point gimmick in service of sentimental nostalgia that fails to develop characters meaningfully. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-here-is-the-years-biggest-pile-of-schmaltz.html)
- **The Times**, Kevin Maher (10/100, inferred): The critic describes it as an extraordinary mess and pointless film like watching the Sims get dementia, with every decision cataclysmic, absurd de-ageing, banal stories, and a saccharine intent undermined by cruelty and emptiness. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/here-review-movie-tom-hanks-dr9vwg3j0)
- **Empire**, Laura Venning: The critic finds the film a deeply flawed, tech-forward endeavour with an uncinematic static-camera conceit and thuddingly obvious dialogue that prompts laughter. Glimmers of human emotion and poignancy emerge in the final act from the lead performances, especially Robin Wright. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/here/)
- **IndieWire**, Ryan Lattanzio: The critic sees it as an earnest Forrest Gump reunion experiment spanning lifetimes from one spot, rueing time lost and gained while noting the de-aging and fixed perspective. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/here-movie-review-robert-zemeckis-1235060293/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Katie Walsh: The critic finds the fixed-camera intergenerational drama to be a pointless, treacly exercise that flattens its Forrest Gump reunion into faux-cosmic tedium with little emotional depth. The stationary vantage point and time-jumping narrative are highlighted as the central gimmick that fails to deliver insight or resonance. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-10-31/here-review-tom-hanks-robin-wright-robert-zemeckis)
- **Radio Times** (★★☆☆☆): The critic sees the film as a heavy-handed Forrest Gump reunion that lands with deadening thuds despite its ambitions on time and history. It singles out the de-aging effects and overly premeditated formal conceits for complaint while noting the score and lead performances as occasional highlights. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/app/here-review-tom-hanks-and-robin-wright-cant-save-this-heavy-handed-forrest-gump-reunion/)
- **Screen Daily**: The critic finds lyrical moments undermined by Zemeckis’s lack of restraint and questionable narrative choices in this ambitious study of lives across time. It singles out the fixed-camera perspective over a century for its potential but notes the execution undoes the moving intent. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/here-review/5198543.article)
- **Sight and Sound**, Guy Lodge: The critic finds the film a gimmicky, overly sentimental and effects-heavy experiment that prioritizes digital fakery over genuine emotion. It singles out the uncanny de-aging of Hanks and Wright and the treacly coda for complaint while noting the fixed-camera conceit from the graphic novel source. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/here-one-room-journey-through-american-history-lapses-into-gimmickry)
- **The Guardian**: The critic calls the film an eerie and embarrassing misfire, an ugly de-aged nightmare that is unforgivably dull as it follows the same house through time with banal snippets of history and lifeless sentimentality. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/oct/29/here-review-forrest-gump-reunion-movie)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney: The critic finds the fixed-camera experiment technically mesmerizing at first but ultimately inert, with a banal story and underdeveloped characters that prioritize visual gimmicks over emotional depth. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/here-review-tom-hanks-robin-wright-robert-zemeckis-1236045912/)
- **The New York Times**, Amy Nicholson: The critic views the film as an experimental but ultimately regret-filled collage spanning billions of years from a fixed camera position, focusing on one family's disappointments rather than triumphs. The static lens and epic scope are singled out as the core formal experiment, though the narrative emphasizes duty and missed opportunities over adventure. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/31/movies/here-review.html)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (70/100, inferred): The critic finds it a noble experiment and a welcome dose of originality, though it doesn’t quite work on every level. He singles out the emotional pull by the end, the performances of Hanks and Wright, and the innovative use of panels with a fixed camera. [Read](https://deadline.com/2024/10/here-review-forrest-gump-filmmaker-robert-zemeckis-reunites-tom-hanks-amp-robin-wright-1236159155/)
- **Eye for Film**, Nikola Jovic (3.5/5): The critic praises Zemeckis for using the fixed perspective and time-spanning narrative to deliver a thesis on his career and explore experimental territory. It is seen as a high-ambition mainstream experiment on the passage of time, regrets, and perseverance despite technical hurdles. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/here-2024-film-review-by-nikola-jovic)
- **Collider**, Ross Bonaime (6/10): The film is an ambitious but messy experiment that occasionally delivers heartfelt moments about family and time passing, yet feels more like an interesting gimmick than a fully realized story. The critic praises the scope and the performances of Hanks, Wright, and Bettany in the central family arc while criticizing the sprawling narrative, on-the-nose moments, and distracting secondary stories. [Read](https://collider.com/here-movie-review/)
- **/Film**, Chris Evangelista (5/10): The critic views the film as an interesting experiment gone wrong. The fixed-camera concept and Forrest Gump reunion are undermined by distracting de-aging, artificial staging, and an overly bleak tone that smothers any warmth. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1700012/here-2024-movie-review/)
- **Film Stories**, Ryan Lambie (50/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a flawed but bold departure that experiments with a fixed camera and time-hopping in ways most movies avoid. The execution distances viewers from the drama through short vignettes, digital effects, and de-aging that create an uncanny valley feel. [Read](https://filmstories.co.uk/features/here-its-flawed-but-robert-zemeckiss-drama-is-a-bold-departure-from-convention/)
- **The Wrap** (30/100, inferred): The critic calls it a mawkish intergenerational drama that amounts to little more than a high-tech museum diorama. He singles out the underwhelming visual effects outside the main storyline, the shallow narrative, and the limited innovation in the panel technique despite the ambitious concept. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/here-review-robert-zemeckis-tom-hanks-robin-wright-movie/)

## Details

- **Director:** Robert Zemeckis
- **Director:** Robert Zemeckis
- **Screenplay:** Robert Zemeckis, Eric Roth
- **Cinematography:** Don Burgess
- **Editor:** Jesse Goldsmith
- **Music:** Alan Silvestri
- **Production design:** Ashley Lamont
- **Costume design:** Joanna Johnston
- **Producer:** Bill Block, Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke
- **Cast:** Tom Hanks as Richard; Robin Wright as Margaret; Paul Bettany as Al; Kelly Reilly as Rose; Finn Guegan as Young Richard; Callum Macreadie as Young Richard; Ellis Grunsell as Young Richard; Teddy Russell as Young Richard
- **Runtime:** 1h 44m
- **First release (the US):** 25 October 2024
- **Genres:** Drama
- **Budget:** $40 million
- **Box office:** $15 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_id-SkGU2k

## Where to watch in the UAE

Not streaming, renting or buying in the UAE at the last check.

Also available in: GB. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Boyhood* (2014), Fi1m 88: Twelve years of one family, filmed as they aged, with no digital help required. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/boyhood.md)
- *Russian Ark* (2002), Fi1m 78: Centuries of history in one building and one unbroken take, and it moves. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/russian-ark.md)
- *Tokyo Story* (1953), Fi1m 92: A low, still camera and a family drifting apart, done with almost no dialogue about it. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/tokyo-story.md)
- *45 Years* (2015), Fi1m 88: A long marriage in one house, and the quiet way one week can unsettle it. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/45-years.md)
- *Forrest Gump* (1994), Fi1m 66: The same team’s earlier run through American history, with jokes and a bench. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/forrest-gump.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/here