For a film that simulates being shot through one single fixed angle, HERE is surprisingly muddled. I am a fan of Hanks and Zememkes and Wright, so I went into this blind, but expectant of great things. And while I do appreciate the artistic attempt, here, I just can’t get past the feeling of waiting for half an hour for something to begin.

Zemekes employees a curious fading in and out digital window upon the nearly constant one room shot. This editing trick allows him to keep true to the one room experiment while introducing movement and mystery, and at least some kind of visual dynamic. Sadly, it does little to help deepen the shallow story. Perhaps, it’s not the fault of the camera, perhaps the random collage of families who have lived in this one place throughout the years, end up cluttering the room. Sadly, the video snapshot of the moments in these families doesn’t cajole emotional involvement from the viewer until it’s rather late. We don’t know these people. It’s not until, Hanks’ character appears in earnest that we start to feel invested in this story. But that means 1/3 of the film had passed without much reward.

That said, Hanks is very strong, and Wright is right there with him. And while, no doubt, viewers will be fascinated by the SFX that make Hanks look like his younger self, the film’s other SFX are not so fascinating.

There are some very sweet tender moments, and I appreciate the bold artistic challenge, and perhaps historical statement about “This American Life,” but in the end, I just wasn’t heartily entertained or moved.