My favorite movie from 2024 is "Here". It stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright as Richard and Margaret, both of whom also appeared in the movie "Forest Gump".

The entire movie takes place from the viewpoint of a single camera position and direction. It depicts a single location that is likely in Pennsylvania. Many of the scenes take place in the living room of a home built at the site, but many also take place at the site before the home was built.

The movie frequently jumps back and forth in time. Often while watching you will wonder if the movie has a point. The point is that many events take place in any given location over a long span of time. The living room hosts many important moments in the lives of the many people that owned the house at different times.

The movie superimposes facial clips from earlier movies in which the actors appeared (like "Big") to make the characters look younger.

A consistent theme in the movie is regret expressed by many of the characters about ambitions not pursued in order to provide for their family.

You really need to watch this movie twice to catch all the details.

At several points in her marriage to Richard, Margaret expresses a strong desire to move out of the family house and buy their own place. Richard never agrees because he fears going into debt and is constantly worried about taxes. This becomes a primary reason for their eventual divorce.

In the end, the movie causes you to reflect on all the events and phases in your own life and to value your remaining years.

For those interested in more detail, some of the points in time depicted in the movie include those when:

• dinosaurs roam the area, before being wiped out by asteriod strikes
• the ice age arrives
• colonial settlers enter the area
• the home is originally built
• the original owner invents the La-Z-Boy recliner
• Native American Indians occupy the area
• Richard is an old man and is moving out of the house
• Richard's newly married parents buy the house
• William Franklin, Benjamin's son, lives across the street in a large house built before the main house in the story
• Richard and Margaret begin dating
• a young family moves in when the house is over 200 years old
• regular use of airplanes is introduced
• Margaret becomes pregnant
• Richard and Margaret get married in the living room
• Richard becomes an artist, producing many paintings
• Margaret delivers a baby girl named Vanessa in the living room
• Richard takes a job as a life insurance salesman in order to better support the family and he stops painting
• Richard and Margaret raise their own family in the house
• a friend of Richard's parents dies in the living room and they have the funeral there
• the American Revolution takes place
• Richard's mother, Rose, has a stroke in the living room
• Richard's parents move to Florida and give the house to Richard and Margaret
• Richard and Margaret's daughter Vanessa goes to college and then law school
• Margaret comments "Time sure does fly, doesn’t it?"
• Richard’s mother Rose passes and is missed by the family at Thanksgiving
• a black father and mother instruct their son on how he should interact with a police officer when pulled over, so he can "go on with his life"
• a surprise party for Margaret’s 50th birthday takes place in the living room
• many regrets are expressed about putting things off in life
• Richard and Margaret briefly have marriage therapy from a life coach
• Richard's father's health declines and he has to move back from Florida to live the remainder of his life on a bed in the living room
• Margaret starts having increased memory loss
• it is New Year's Eve, Richard and Margaret toast, but they do not kiss
• Margaret leaves Richard and moves into an apartment near her work
• Richard starts painting again
• Richard's father dies
• Margaret fulfills her dream to visit Paris
• Richard and Margaret get together to celebrate Thanksgiving by themselves with Chinese food
• Margaret opens a fortune cookie that says "You will have an adventure." She reflects on what an adventure her life has been.
• Richard hoped they would get back together, but Margaret wasn’t interested in that
• Richard sells the house
• Richard brings Margaret back to the empty house years later. Initially she doesn't remember ever living in the house or remember their daughter Vanessa.
• Richard describes the many things they experienced in the house. This triggers Margaret's memory and she remembers living in the house. She says she loved being there.