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Kevin Macdonald, who directed Last King of Scotland, directs this adaptation of the teenage novel by Meg Rosoff. Snappy American teen Daisy (Saoirse Ronan) arrives in the English countryside to spend the summer with her young cousins, who are left to a largely self-sufficient existence by their busy peace activist mum. Teen love blossoms and the kids have a fine time together, but all is interrupted as war breaks out and Britain is invaded while Mum is away. The children are taken away and separated, and Daisy is left to make good on her promise to reunite the family in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
The first act sets up the cousins' carefree bohemian home life like a cross between Joanna Hogg's Archipelago and the Weasley family in the Harry Potter films, and there are plenty of lighthearted scenes as Daisy adjusts to the laid back rural lifestyle. War begins suddenly, and is depicted without pulling any punches. There are plenty of harrowing and violent scenes, but the war is very much a plot device and little attempt is made to fill in details about the identity of the invaders and the nature of the disagreement. The bulk of the film is a road movie as Daisy attempts to reunite the cousins and see her lover again. Needless to say, it doesn't all go to plan.
How I Live Now is very grown up for a teenage film, with themes that are reflected in the 15 rating. It is pretty to look at, and comes across as a serious and mature version of a Famous Five adventure. All the children give good performances, and Saorsie Ronan really stands out. Given the storyline, it is difficult to avoid comparisons with last year's Lore, in which a teenage girl escorts her sister through Germany at the end of WWII. Lore is undoubtedly more substantial, helped by the filled-out background due to its factual premise, but HILN still packs a great deal of emotional impact. While Daisy's motivation doesn't entirely convince to begin with, it is to the film's credit that by the end the teenage romanticism and sentimentality for the family bond endure and satisfy teen and adult viewer alike. 3.5/5.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSaxm68PPT4
