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Cast: Ben Foster, Lubna Azabal
Set against the gorgeous landscape of Armenia, HERE chronicles a brief but intense relationship between an American satellite-mapping engineer (Ben Foster, The Messenger, 3:10 to Yuma) and an expatriate photographer (Lubna Azabal, Paradise Now, Incendies) who impulsively decide to travel into uncharted territory. As their trip comes to an end, the two must decide where to go from HERE.
"Here" is about an American cartographer, Will who ventures into the mostly barren landscape of Armenia for his latest assignment. Will is a loner that doesn't work well with others, he likes to do things with his own set of rules. The he meets Gadarine, a photographer who shares a lot in common with will as far as not wanting to settle down or stick to one certain location. She offers to be his guide and Will accepts because she knows the language and people a lot better than he does.
A small Indie, the biggest attraction to "Here" for most people will be Ben Foster who has really built a nice resume for himself over the last several years. Foster and Azabal give convincing performances here, they seem like a perfect match and you hope for the best for both of them. The story is deliberately slow as it lets their relationship build very slowly which gives it all a very natural feel. Writer/director Braden King takes full advantage of the love story to get the real point of the film across, that we all see things differently through our only experiences in life no matter where we are from.
The film's main themes are further enhanced by King's visual style, the chapter breaks in the film with narration by Peter Coyote may not be for everyone but they do enhance an already powerful story. These moments do give the film a more Art-house feel so I'm sure the story is not going to hold everyone's attention but for those that like a good romance/drama and are willing to invest their time in it then those are the ones that will be rewarded in the end. "Here" is a unique journey that's worth taking for several reasons, Foster and Azabal are two of those reasons, they are both incredible together. Another reason is the film's cinematography, the long shots in the film show just how beautiful Armenia really is. It's breath-taking to look at and easy to get lost in. The story is a bit uneven at times but the good certainly outweighs the bad making this one of the more original films I have seen this year and a captivating film that is worth taking a long look at. The DVD comes with Special Features that include:
Additional Interlude Films
Gadarine's Photographs
Original Theatrical Trailer
Other Strand Releasing Trailers
You can order the DVD HERE.
Released by Strand Releasing
**** Out Of *****