How I Live Now

Kevin Macdonald's adaptation of Meg Rosoff's titular 2004 young adult novel presents a near-future world on the brink of collapse. Bleached-blonde New Yorker Elizabeth (Saoirse Ronan)—who goes by the name Daisy—travels to Britain to stay with relatives for the summer. From the start, the 16-year-old treats her cousins Isaac (Tom Holland), Piper (Harley Bird), and Edmond (George MacKay) like underlings, but warms up to 17-year-old “Eddie” when she witnesses his way with animals, including a hawk with a broken wing. With her aunt (Anna Chancellor) called away on business in Geneva, the kids have free reign over the cat-filled farmhouse, but when a bomb goes off in London, the quartet lose power and contact with the outside world. Because she's an American citizen, a consular official gives Daisy a ticket back to the States, but she decides to stay—come hell, high water, or nuclear annihilation. Within days, authorities arrive to evacuate the children, leading to division and relocation, but Daisy and Eddie make a vow to meet up again. After escaping from a work camp, Daisy and Piper work their way through empty towns and shadowy forests towards home, with no idea of what they'll find when they get there. A science fiction tale that prioritizes character over special effects, How I Live Now (featuring music from Nick Drake and Fairport Convention) is a lovely film about ugly times. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include interviews with director Kevin Macdonald, author Meg Rosoff, and various cast and crew members (53 min. total), a “making-of” featurette (6 min.), behind-the-scenes comparisons (6 min.), deleted scenes (5 min.), an ASX TV-produced featurette (3 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an engaging film.] (K. Fennessy)