Here and Now

British romantic teen drama ‘Here and Now’ announces its two lead newcomers with a proud ‘Introducing…’ credit. The leads in question – Lauren Johns and Andy Rush – are fine as the apparently ill-matched mouthy city girl and quiet country boy who gradually bond. But the real star of writer-director Lisle Turner’s debut feature is Will Humphris’s cinematography. Time and time again, the look of the film saves a mood-oriented script which could comfortably be contracted into 45 minutes without losing any vital story beats. Editor Paul Monaghan is perhaps aware of the film’s slight narrative shortcomings, and devotes ample time to the film’s pastoral trump card, with the plethora of lush, lingering location shots of the Wye Valley sometimes feeling like a beautiful commercial portfolio for the talented director of photography. Destined to be appreciated most of all by the filmmakers’ friends and family, ‘Here and Now’ is a modest film with a gentle heart.