How I Live Now

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Aze D The main character was thoroughly unlikeable. Even when they explained why she was so bitter the bad acting made the character unsympathetic. Plus the first cousin love story was gross. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 06/26/25 Full Review SkyRo P In "How I Live Now," starring Saoirse Ronan and Tom Holland, we follow the story of a young girl who moves in with a family during a time of war. As she settles in, she develops feelings for her older brother, but her character initially comes across as insufferable and unkind to everyone around her. This lack of warmth makes it difficult to root for her throughout much of the film. Set against the backdrop of a war-torn landscape, the film takes a darker turn when we see Tom Holland's character in a body bag. It’s a jarring moment, especially for fans of Holland who know him as the beloved Spider-Man. Despite this, he does an admirable job in his role, capturing the audience's attention and bringing depth to his character. However, the main character's behavior is a major stumbling block. Throughout their journey, particularly during a hiking expedition to locate the brothers, she treats a younger girl with disdain, making her come off as cruel and unlikable. I found myself wanting to reach through the screen to express my frustration. Her character is written so poorly that it not only makes you dislike her but also casts a shadow over the actress portraying her. While I understand that characters can be flawed, her actions seem unjustifiable and poorly executed, leading me to feel that she didn't deserve a happy ending at all. In fact, I thought she should have been the one in that body bag. The writing of her character was so bothersome that it severely impacted my enjoyment of the movie. It was hard to watch someone so unpleasant at the center of the story, and while I can see that her backstory with her parents might offer some explanation for her behavior, it wasn't enough to redeem her in my eyes. Overall, I found this film disappointing and struggled to connect with it. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/23/25 Full Review Jay H I often struggle to find my favorite movie of all time. There are so many good ones. But my least favorite? I only have one answer. This movie is rancid to the core and I was horrified by every single scene. First off, it's a super disrespectful depiction of mental health. Second off, the entire plot is about incest. It's not even like, incest for the shock value or horror. This movie is absurdly pro-incest. The main characters are cousins and barely say two words to each before having sex and declaring that they are in love. The narrative seems to be setting up that our protagonist is selfish, and will have some sort of character-arch where she learns to protect her new family, but no. She goes out of her way to hurt and even kill everyone in her path purely because she wants to keep having sex with her cousin. She makes selfish choices the whole movie that result in other more likable characters dying or suffering horrific torture. She shows no remorse and then the movie just ends with her getting everything she wants (which again, is just sex with her cousin) and basically every other character dies. I hate this movie with a burning passion on a level previous unknown to man. I have no idea why the writer thought this story was worth telling. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/24 Full Review E. K. G This movie is underrated. For anyone who likes the post-apoc genre (crisis changes us for the better sub-genre) it's a must-see and a five star. If you avoid that genre don't avoid this. I watched it long ago, forgot the title but not the essence. Then found it again when looking for anything Saoirse Ronan after seeing her in Brooklyn. She hits just the right tones in a heartening if not entirely surprising transformation from spoiled self-centered teen to self-sacrificing, responsible young adult. The whole cast is good and the country house a character in itself. Scary, upsetting things happen. And human love goes on. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/31/23 Full Review Aldo G An unhappy, morose American teen visits her aunt and cousins in Europe and has to grow up quickly as war explodes around her. Excellent performances especially by Saoirse Ronan and tight direction by Kevin MacDonald make this a YA gem. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/18/23 Full Review steve d Some interesting ideas that never come close to coming together. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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