Here, by Robert Zemeckis | Presents from the past

Thirty years later Forrest Gumpcrowned with six Oscars, Robert Zemeckis brings together Tom Hanks and Robin Wright in Herewhere they play a couple from the 1960s to today using AI-generated digital makeup. The Press met them by videoconference.

In 2014, while he published an expanded version of his comic strip published in the anthology Raw in 1989, Richard McGuire shook up the world of graphic novels with Here. What will happen to the big screen adaptation made by filmmaker Robert Zemeckis and the co-writer of Forrest Gump Eric Roth ?

“I was instantly fascinated by the concept of this graphic novel,” recalled the director during a virtual meeting with the international press. I told myself it would make an extraordinary film. So I decided to adapt it, because in my opinion, to tell the passage of time, cinema is the most powerful medium there is. »

Filmed with a fixed camera, like the 1991 short film of the same name by Timothy Masick and William Trainor, inspired by the original comic, Here (Iciin French version) tells the story of a place, from prehistory to our time including the arrival of the First Nations, the American War of Independence and the two pandemics.

“Everything that is told passes through a single point of view,” explains Robert Zemeckis. This gives the viewer not only an interesting perspective, but also a very powerful emotional pole, a very focused idea of ​​the intimacy that is being told to them. The viewer understands that there will be no scenes in the kitchen or bedroom. I find this approach very powerful and particularly unique; I had never seen that before. »

“I had to reread Richard McGuire’s extraordinary book two or three times before I could grasp the concept,” confides Tom Hanks. When I finally understood that the panels that were embedded in the painting were like windows into another era, I found that it was spectacular and that it would be quite a challenge to take on in cinema. This way of telling the story in a series of scenes could petrify any filmmaker, with the exception of Robert Zemeckis. »

In this place will be built, in 1907, a house where various families will live, including that of Richard and Margaret played by Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, reunited 30 years after playing the main roles in Forrest Gump.

“It was extraordinary to meet again, it was as if time had not passed,” confides the actress. We resumed the conversation as we left it and we laughed like 30 years ago. It was the same dynamic between us. It’s a blessing to be able to work with people you know so well. I’ve been in the business for 40 years and if I could do nothing but that, that’s what I would do. »

The challenges of artificial intelligence

Filmed in front of an LED screen, which allowed the film crew to see the virtual set, which is impossible with a green or blue screen, Here also benefited from the technological support of the Metaphysic studio, creator of an AI called Metaphysic Live, which makes it possible to rejuvenate or age actors in a fraction of a second. This is how Tom Hanks, 68 years old, and Robin Wright, 58 years old, were able to play their characters from 7 to 77 years old.

“The digital makeup was done without a problem and when I first told my creative team that the film would be shot in a fixed shot, I was told it wouldn’t be difficult. Ultimately, it’s the most difficult film I’ve shot because everything that appears in each shot, each scene, each era has to fit in with the others. So there was a lot of preparation before filming,” says the director.

“We had to master each scene,” confirms Robin Wright. With Bob [Zemeckis] and Tom, we reshot the scenes to recalibrate everything. We didn’t want to get boring or have too long pauses between lines so that the rhythm was maintained. Since we don’t cut to do a close-up or a medium shot, we had to determine who enters the scene, who moves towards the camera to appear in the close-up, and who remains in the wide shot. It was like a dance that we had to create together. In fact, it was liberating to shoot like this. »

On the set, Robert Zemeckis worked with two monitors, one on which he saw what the camera was capturing, the other the faces of the actors modified from 8 million photos of them gleaned from the Internet by the AI, technology that makes many in Hollywood tremble.

“I don’t believe that one day AI will replace actors,” adds Robin Wright. Unless we convince the world to drink the Kool-Aid so that they believe that AI is real and expresses emotions like a human being. Visually, it’s fantastic because the AI ​​allows actors to play their younger characters. »

Moreover, the actors could adjust their acting according to the age of their character, as Tom Hanks reports: “What was wonderful was that thanks to the speed of the technology used for the film, we could see what we looked like at each age. Honestly, we had to play to the extreme to make sure we were in the moment when we needed to be, that is, remembering what we needed to remember and forgetting what we needed to forget. »

Live the present moment

Beyond the technological considerations that the film involves, Here weaves a reflection on the meaning of life through a fragmented chronology of destinies, often ordinary, which echo each other. At any moment, a window opens on the past, sometimes on the future, while the story of Richard and Margaret unfolds, itself told in a series of memories.

“The film takes the point of view of characters from different eras of the past; However, these people do not know that they are part of the past and they live in the present moment. The great paradox of the film is the impermanence of life, the speed at which time flies and the importance of living in the present moment. The secret of life lies in this surreal combination. Life is a series of present moments whose flow must be followed,” summarizes Tom Hanks.

“It’s a beautiful, universal story that resonates for everyone because it speaks of dreams, ambitions, struggles, defeats, that we have all experienced, not just the generations represented in the film. Ultimately, the central theme of the film is that nothing is permanent because everything changes over time. It is the only constancy in life. It doesn’t matter how old you are,” concludes Robert Zemeckis.

In theaters on 1^is November