How I Live Now
An estranged American teenager discovers fierce love and hard-won resilience while crossing a war-shattered England to reunite with her family.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- melancholic
- tender
- foreboding
- serious movie night
- young adult drama night
What critics said
Critics broadly valued Saoirse Ronan's committed performance and the film's humane emotional force, while finding its apocalyptic narrative uneven and sometimes derivative.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Daisy and Piper mature rapidly while fleeing through England under martial law and searching for their separated family.
Daisy and Eddie fall in love just before military authorities divide them into separate camps.
The nuclear attack and ensuing state of siege are experienced primarily through Daisy's displacement, fear, and journey with Piper.
Daisy and Piper cross the English countryside while authorities impose martial law and the country descends into conflict.
Films like How I Live Now, and why
The Hunger Games
Both combine young adult survival, militarized dystopian conditions, and a resourceful teenage heroine confronting violent social collapse.
The 5th Wave
Both use intimate adolescent romance and family bonds against the backdrop of a frightening near-future catastrophe and social breakdown.
Atonement
Both are emotionally grounded coming-of-age dramas in which young people navigate separation, danger, and moral pressure during wartime upheaval.
The Road
Both blend rural isolation, intense first love, and escalating apocalyptic threat with a serious, visually atmospheric tone.
Movie Details
- Director
- Kevin Macdonald
- Release Date
- 2013-09-10
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (974)
Cast
- Saoirse Ronan
- George MacKay
- Tom Holland
- Harley Bird
- Danny McEvoy
- Anna Chancellor
- Corey Johnson
- Darren Morfitt
- Sabrina Dickens
- Stella Gonet
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Philo, Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel, Warriors and Gangsters Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is How I Live Now about?
- An estranged American teenager discovers fierce love and hard-won resilience while crossing a war-shattered England to reunite with her family.
- What is How I Live Now like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of How I Live Now as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is How I Live Now violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in How I Live Now as brutal.
- What did critics think of How I Live Now?
- Critics broadly valued Saoirse Ronan's committed performance and the film's humane emotional force, while finding its apocalyptic narrative uneven and sometimes derivative.
- Which films are like How I Live Now?
- Films with a similar feel include The Hunger Games, The 5th Wave, Atonement, and The Road.
- How long is How I Live Now?
- How I Live Now runs 101 minutes.
- Where can I watch How I Live Now?
- In United States, How I Live Now streams on fuboTV, Philo, Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel, Warriors and Gangsters Amazon Channel.
