MovieChat Forums > How I Live Now (2013) Discussion > The following things I did not understan...

The following things I did not understand about the movie and left me...

posted 10 years ago by solatisa
14 replies | jump to latest

wanting more.
WARNING: YOU NOW HAVE BOARDED THE NONSTOP SPOILER TRAIN!!!
Maybe viewers smarter than myself can answer or perhaps readers of the book have some literary insight...

1. The War - I realize reading other threads on this subject leaves many viewers curious about the nature of the war. I know they said terrorists, but I have a hard time believing terrorists would have enough ground forces to overtake England, let alone Europe. I know the context of the movie used war as a plot device, but it was clear that it was a large conflict, as evidenced by the nukes, ground troops, military posted at airport and checkpoints, France burning on tv, and the mothers projections of total deaths in Europe. The nature of the war is a good discussion and can be left for debate in other threads. My question is, did the conflict extend to the US? Why would Daisy's father send her to a war zone where an outbreak of war was imminent? Were things just as bad in the US? I tend to think no, since the consulate was willing to evacuate her, but why would they allow travel in the first place?

2. Inner thoughts - Were we the only ones privy to Daisy's thoughts? Or was there some sort of telepathic broadcasting taking place? (Which leads me to my next question)

3. Was the oldest cousin clairvoyant? He seemed to hear Daisy's thoughts, even commenting on it. He looked particularly hurt when she thought "f**cking loser" when he helped her up. I was hoping this would be explored further. Was it clearer to anyone else or in the book?

4. Daisy's 180 - I don't understand what the turning point was where she accepted the family and fell in love with the cousin. She was still a c u next Tuesday even after the swimming scene. I know there is only so much time in the movie, but I never understood her exact transition. Was it only first love that motivated her (since she was still awful to the little girl a lot on the trip back).

5. Time frame - how long was this supposed to take place over?

6. Plane crash/Box of chocolates - was this supposed to be the mother's plane that crashed? Or just symbolic of families being torn apart due to war and the little girl finding a gift from a mom was like it being from her mom?

7. Death of the youngest brother - was the oldest brother motivated by his love of Daisy in the same manner of Daisy that he was willing to let his lil bro die for some more Daisy booty?

8. The symbolism of Daisy's name - I know teenagers reinvent themselves (thinking Lola in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen). Why Daisy? I immediately thought of the Daisy nuclear scare ad from the Cold War election era, but wanted others thoughts.

9. Does the book explain what happened to the older brother to turn him into a near death mute who made it home? Was he assaulted at home, in the camp, on his unexpected journey?

10. The ages of all the characters - I know they were naive and childlike while the was was happening around them. Does the book explain the exact ages?

Any help with any of these questions, book explanations, or general thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[–] xreesex 10 years ago

I don't really have any answers, but am interested to see what others thought on this so I wanted to comment to get notifications. Sorry!

**
And "futile", Marshal Cogburn, "pursuit would be futile"? It's not spelled "f-u-d-e-l."

[–] DeanSledgehammer 10 years ago

I haven't read the books and saw the movie only once, but I'll take a stab at some of these.

1.You pretty much said all we know in the question. There was bombings in France so the war must be international, but maybe it wasn't expected to hit Britains mainland. Or maybe it had literally just started in France and she got in some of the last flights. I doubt the conflict had happened in US. Can't remember if it was hinted or not, but could it have been some multi-national co-ordinated civil war or something? idk

2.Pretty sure we were the only ones.

3.Nope. I think he just understood Daisy and could read her/people well. You know, when there's really deep connection between people they basically know what the other one is thinking. At least that's how I interpreted it.

4.There was two turning points if I remember correctly. The caring of the bleeding finger and the jump in the water. She was clearly very conflicted person and Eddie was maybe the first person to understand her. Also consider the thought that she was freightened city girl, who got to experience... "freedom" for the first time.
This part was kinda skipped, with a MONTAGE of them running in the night, eating real food etc.

5.Probably like two months or so.

6.I took it as a random planecrash which hinted to a possibility that the mom could be dead.

7.Daisy booty, hehheh. No, he definitely didn't "let" his brother die. You don't have siblings, do you? The brother was of course motivated by his love for Daisy, but also, of course, had done everything he could for his brother.

8.Didn't give it a second thought. Probably some meaning for it though.

9.Haven't read the book, but he clearly had been through a lot and also the death of his brother. What ever you can think of, that's horrible enough to scar you like that, happened.

10.Guessing here: Daisy ~17, Eddie ~20, Isaac ~15, Piper... like 10 maybe?

[–] Evil-Emu 10 years ago

Not read the book but

1. I don't think her father cared that much as evidenced by not checking that she had arrived safely in the UK but she obviously didn't like the new baby that was born so I don't think they were getting along.

2. Did she have some sort of schizophrenia or other mental illness? I seem to remember her taking pills and I cant remember what for! This could also have been her 180 when she had to stop taking them!

10. When they were being separated by the army they said Eddie was 16 and Issac was 14. Iam sure its mentioned that Daisy was 17 and I would guess the youngest was 10 or 11.

Stand Free - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeVohcfCmsg

[–] Flame-Trees 10 years ago

The book does explain a lot of that, except the war thing, that was left pretty vague too--I'm not sure if that was a stylistic choice or not (like, the writer wanted the viewer to be as ignorant about the war as Daisy is).

Inner thoughts - Were we the only ones privy to Daisy's thoughts? Or was there some sort of telepathic broadcasting taking place? (Which leads me to my next question)

Only us (sort of, more on that when I answer your next question).

Was the oldest cousin clairvoyant? He seemed to hear Daisy's thoughts, even commenting on it. He looked particularly hurt when she thought "f**cking loser" when he helped her up. I was hoping this would be explored further. Was it clearer to anyone else or in the book?

Something like that. They did hint at it in the movie. I can't remember if it was said outright or just implied in the book, but yes, it was definitely present (it wasn't a blatantly obvious kind of thing, more...subtle magical realism, I think).

Daisy's 180 - I don't understand what the turning point was where she accepted the family and fell in love with the cousin. She was still a c u next Tuesday even after the swimming scene. I know there is only so much time in the movie, but I never understood her exact transition. Was it only first love that motivated her (since she was still awful to the little girl a lot on the trip back).

The pacing of that wasn't done very well. I think it was more...she was awful to them, she pushed them away, but they still kept trying with her and they got her to relax a bit and she let her guard down and cared about them (the book goes into her issues in more detail--issues with her dad and his new family, her eating disorder, self-loathing, etc--and it's more understandable with that context that she'd latch onto them).

Plane crash/Box of chocolates - was this supposed to be the mother's plane that crashed?

No, it was just meant to be sad/show the effect of the war.

[–] flubetoob 10 years ago

So I read this book when I was fourteen, and I think it broke me and I kind of repressed most of my memories about it but I just watched the movie and had to re-read and DEFFO recommend reading the book. It took me two hours to read it and kjhfjkhfsjkdf it is so good!

Ok so

1. The War in England was 'started' by an unknown group of terrorists who waited until the army was drawn out of the country to respond to other international conflicts, and then set off a bunch of bombs in the U.K. and took control. They then only had to defend the country's borders from the returning army. 'The Enemy' (as they're known in hte book) lived relatively peaceful with the civilians and territorial army in the book and were actually the people who ran the checkpoints.

The conflict did indeed extend to the US. But even in the book all the details are very vague. Daisy says "it was only a few months ago that there was finally a pause in the thousands of wars being waged all over the planet. Or was it one big war? I forget." Presumably the US would have been in a similar situation to the UK? Bomb threats and sniper fire are mentioned - but you're right, it probably wouldn't have been as bad due to land mass etc etc

She wasn't offered evacuation in the book - all borders were closed, all flights were grounded.

2. Um I don't get this have a look at no.3

3. Edmond is telepathic (and Daisy knows it)! And Isaac (who is Edmond's quieter 'animal whispering' twin) is as well; and he doesn't die. HOW COULD THEY KILL ISAAC OFF PLS

It's reaaally hinted at in the book that all the siblings are these mystical creatures, not just plain human

4. Daisy is definitely not as abrasive in the book as she's portrayed to be in the movie. I didn't really get it either - she gets on with all of them straight away in the book so I'm no help here - I guess it kind of made the love story more interesting if they didn't like each otehr than much at first??

5. Not explained, either. My personal thoughts are that the war goes on for about a year before the girls make it back home. In the book Daisy and Piper arrive back at the house and live there alone for a while before Daisy's dad gets her deported back the US - she lives in the US for another six years before the borders open and she's allowed back into England where Edmond is like totally shut off because he'd come back and she wasn't there (ugh so tragic so much worse than the movie kill me)

6. Doesn't happen in the book - I assume it's symbolic of both of those things in the movie. (Their mum dies after being shot trying to get back into the country through the closed borders.)

7. Again, doesn't happen in the book. They're both at this farm together bUT it's said that it's a nice little farm community until being 'invaded' by the terrorists, both Isaac and Edmond escape way before, but Edmond goes back to try and save some of the people, witnesses the massacre (it's a massacre of men, women & children in the book rather than hinting at child soldiers??? idk) and is then captured by the terrorist enemy.

In the movie I assumed it was some creepy child soldier thing and that Isaac had been killed and as Edmond looked pretty horrific when they found him he only just escaped?

8. I didn't even think of this ahahaha I suck

9. It does explain it, read the book it's so good and short and kadjfkjhsf

10. Their ages are different in the book. In the movie I guessed that Edmond was 17, Daisy 16 and the other two however much younger.

In the book they have an older brother called Osbert who is 16, Daisy is 15, Isaac and Edmond are twins and 14, Piper is 9

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] ciocio-2 10 years ago

Just a couple of notes: Re. the ages, in the DVD extras, in an interview with the director, he states that Daisy is 14 years old in the book (presumably at the beginning of the story), and that they made her 16 in the movie.

Re. Eddie, Isaac, and what Eddie had been through: Going on what we get from the movie, we have no actual information, and I don't assume that Eddie was even with Isaac when Isaac died, or knew that he had died (I don't assume the opposite either; there are simply many possibilities, and we aren't given that information). But, going on what the movie shows us of Eddie and his character, there's no way I'd believe that "he was willing to let his lil bro die for some more Daisy booty." Absolutely not. Clearly, whatever he'd experienced was horrific and terrorizing.

Not positive about how literally Eddie can 'hear' Daisy's internal soundscape, but he's portrayed as extremely sensitive and intuitive, with animals as well as with his siblings and Daisy.

Re. Daisy's evolution of attitude with the others: It's worth watching deleted scenes on the DVD, which offer a bit more nuance, but I felt that, especially with the help of Eddie's attention and connection, and with time and interaction with all of them, she warmed, let her defenses down, and just got her head and heart into a better place, so to speak. It isn't a direct, undeviating trajectory, so yes, she acts somewhat testy, even after the swimming scene, but the general direction is towards bonding with them. Also, re. her behavior with Piper on their trek back home, I took it as a kind of 'tough love,' mixed with genuine frustration, anxiety and terror. Her two by far highest priorities appear to be getting back to reunite with Eddie, and seeing to it that Piper does the same, which requires Daisy's protection and sometimes mean-seeming, demanding behavior with her. The one time she lashes out in truly hateful speech seemed to me a snapping of the extreme tension, and saying nasty words she didn't truly mean, for which she apologizes to Piper very sincerely. The truth is, although Piper's a little, fantasy-filled girl, there is simply no leeway for indulging that if she's to survive; she has to see, learn about, and deal with things a child shouldn't have to, and she has to be driven far beyond her known endurance, in this push to survive. Daisy knows that on some level, and does what she must to get her home. Piper also is coming to an understanding of all that, as things unfold.

It's an interesting, compelling movie, and made me want to read the book as well. Excellent work from the director, crew, and actors.

Multiplex: 100+ shows a day, NONE worth watching. John Sayles' latest: NO distribution. SAD.

[–] i_am_kierstin 10 years ago

I didn't read the book but from what I understand, Daisy and Edmond had a telepathic connection which they were trying, I believe unsuccessfully, to portray in the film.

Also, Daisy suffered from anorexia and what looked like a bad case of OCD, not schizophrenia.