Kevin Macdonald is arguably one of the more grittier film directors working at the moment, his subject matter has never been easy topics. The documentary which really put him on the map was the amazing Touching the Void, a brutal look at the true story of two climbers and their trek in the Peruvian Andes, perfectly depicting the trials and tribulations faced by the hikers.
However, it was the wonderful The Last King of Scotland which made everyone sit up and pay attention to Macdonald. Terrifyingly portraying the rule of Idi Amin through the eyes of his personal physician, Macdonald directed an Oscar-winning performance from Forest Whitaker and perhaps a career best from James McAvoy.
His new film, on the other hand, is a change of pace. Although it is still what you would consider gritty, How I Live Now proves that Macdonald genuinely follows the story instead of a genre.
Based on the novel of the same name by Meg Rosoff, How I Live Now follows the life of Daisy, an American teenager who joins her cousins for a holiday in the English countryside. Detached due to her relationship with her father, Daisy is aloof and non-interested in her cousins until she meets Edmond.
However, her love affair with her cousin was never going to run smoothly. Following a discussion with her aunt who is involved in the political sphere, it is clear that all is not well on the world stage. After her aunt leaves, London is bombed and martial law is declared. The army arrives at the idyllic cottage, separates the family, sending the boys to a different location from the girls.
Daisy, who would do anything to be back with Edmond, sets out on a dangerous trip to make it home with her young cousin Piper.
Despite the involvement of Saoirse Ronan, the cast of the film can leave a lot to be desired. Most are relative newcomers which can make the initial few scenes seem a little stiff. Ronan is far and away the best performance here, playing completely against any character type she has had in the past, she is, in her own words, not a very nice person.
On top of the above, the subject matter is incredibly dark. The war, the disappearance of their friends and family and the cost that places on a human being is openly portrayed, despite the fact that we are in the most part, viewing this through children or teenager’s eyes.
Its one massive flaw is how long it takes to actually get going, there is a lot of back story in the film and although a lot of the characters have been cut from the book, you still feel like you may be learning more about each character than you need to know.
Not Macdonald’s greatest work, but still an interesting piece.
