Day by Day
Daisy (Saoirse Ronan) is less than happy about being sent to England from her home in America to spend summer with cousins she doesn't even know. But whilst a moody little madam to start with she slowly warms to her fun loving relatives and friends who find themselves looking after themselves most of the time as Daisy's aunt is busy involved with a conflict on a global scale. Just as Daisy loosens up and starts enjoying life with her cousins something happens which turns everything on its head as war breaks out and Daisy along with young cousin Piper (Harley Bird) end up separated from the boys including Eddie (George MacKay), having to journey home across war torn England to a place she now calls home.
"How I Live Now" is the sort of movie which leaves me torn as on one hand I was engaged totally in it but at the same time I was befuddled by its purpose, if purpose is the right word, a there is lots of things going on which all seem a little like red herrings. What I mean is that when Daisy shows up she seems to hear voices in her head but that doesn't really go anywhere, she is moody but then warms to her cousins, war breaks out, she ends up separated and then we watch as Daisy tries to make it back to her cousins farm where the hunky cow whisperer Eddie lives and who she falls for. But what is the point of all this as the movie isn't about war; it isn't about teen love or the voices in Daisy's head.
What seems to be the case is that "How I Live Now" is all about the changing way of life how one day you can be moody the next happy, there are no constants, you never know what is around the corner and so live each day as it comes. Trust me if the movie meant something else then I seriously missed what that something else was and this whole live each day as it comes thing was not enough for me despite the not being able to work out where the movie going being enough to keep me intrigued.
What this all boils down to is that "How I Live Now" is a curious movie which is its greatest asset because once you get to the end you question what was the point of it all. As I said, maybe it has some deeper meaning but for me the what seems to be a story about living each day as it comes and doing what is necessary is not enough to make it good to watch more than once.