Film Review: “How I Live Now”

Burnley Express has just posted a review of Saoirse’s film “How I Live Now”. It does not contain any spoilers, so you can read the complete article below:

The poster for moody thriller How I Live Now shows Atonement actress Saoirse Ronan staring sullenly into the distance, headphones firmly blocking out the world around her.

You might assume from this striking image that Kevin Macdonald’s film follows a familiar route as the one signposted ‘Awkward Teen Who Finds Out That Life Isn’t That Bad After All’.

Thankfully, the picture treads a different path.

Adapted from Meg Rosoff’s young adult novel, the story centres on a New Yorker called Daisy (Ronan), who suffers from obsessive tendencies and is sent to England to spend the summer with her British cousins in the country.

Initially, there is friction as 15-year-old Daisy meets her Aunt (Anna Chancellor) and cousins, sensitive Edmond (George MacKay), sweet natured Isaac (Tom Holland) and bubbly baby of the bunch, Piper (Harley Bird).

No sooner has Daisy settled in to her unfamiliar surroundings than things start to get really weird.

After her aunt goes to Switzerland for business, Daisy and Edmond fall in love. But the young lovebirds have to put their romance on hold when a series of bombs hits the UK, all electricity is cut off and war is declared.

The film is blessed with rock solid performances from the young cast and the glorious Welsh countryside.

A pleasantly dark antidote to the usual sugary doses of big screen teen angst.