The dynamic trio of Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, and director Robert Zemeckis reunite decades after the blockbuster film, ‘Forrest Gump,’ for a single-perspective, time-spanning film, ‘Here.’ The upcoming film features a far future, a long-lost past, and everything in between without the camera moving an inch. Tom Hanks and Robin Wright are de-aged using technology, bringing to life the stars’ younger selves.
‘Here’ is shot with a single perspective and captures the past, present, and future of a piece of land as it transforms over the years. The land, once a jungle, becomes a cozy domestic space for the lead couple as the film etches their lives in the same spot, from getting acquainted to getting old. What has captured the fans’ frenzy is not so much the film’s perspective, but the de-aging of Hanks and Wright using technology, where the two veteran stars’ looks remind viewers of their older films, where they were full of youth with thick hair and fresh faces.
Watch the trailer here:
The upcoming film is not Zemeckis’ first exploration of the concept of time and advanced technology. As noted by the BBC, the filmmaker has always been fascinated by how people and places change over the decades, with the hit film ‘Forrest Gump’ being a prime example, along with his ‘Back to the Future’ trilogy. “He has also long been fascinated by digital innovation, which accounts for the creepy animated mannequins, created using real actors and motion capture technology, in The Polar Express (2004), Beowulf (2007), A Christmas Carol (2009), and the deeply weird Welcome to Marwen (2018).”
‘Here’ has been co-written by Eric Roth and is based on Richard McGuire’s 2014 eponymous graphic novel. In the film, which is shot at one location across a century, Hanks plays Richard while Wright essays the role of his teenage girlfriend and subsequent wife, Margaret. The synopsis of the film reads, “Here is an original film about multiple families and a special place they inhabit. The story travels through generations, capturing the most relatable of human experiences.” The film is slated to release on November 15.
While fans are eager to see one of their favorite on-screen pairs reunite, how the de-aging of the stars sits with them remains to be seen. Whether it will create a sense of nostalgia or feel unsettling is something that has piqued curiosity. Despite how the use of technology in the film will fare, it raises the question of whether it will become a recurring practice to capture stars’ younger versions.