Movie Review:
Being Human (1994)
MOVIE REVIEW:
Being Human (1994)
Being Human (1994)
TITLE: Being Human
RELEASE DATE: May 6, 1994
TRAILER: CLICK HERE
STREAMING/RENT: CLICK HERE
SUMMARY
One human soul named Hector gets the chance to live five separate lives, through different periods of history. He is reincarnated as a Celt, a Roman slave, a Scottish crusader, a man shipwrecked in Africa and a modern-day New Yorker.
And, though the same souls keep popping up around him, including his lover and his children, Hector makes the same mistakes over and over again.
But it is through these many trials and errors that Hector learns what it truly means to be human.
THE SOCIAL COMMENTARY IN THE FILM
This film taps the themes of loss and longing, choices and consequences and regret, and the fragility of what makes us human.
WHAT I LOVED
I absolutely love the storytelling in this film, the use of different lives to tell an overall narrative, and the way it felt like an anthology in many ways. Anthologies are my weakness, so that makes me happy. LOL
I love how Robin was able to bring so many similar characteristics and so many different ones to the “same” man as he shifted from life to life.
It also really captured sentimental aspects and made me care about these characters a lot.
WHAT I DIDN'T
It’s a little slow in places. Overall, I liked it. There’s nothing I really disliked, but I don’t think it’s held up well. It feels way older than Mrs. Doubtfire, which came out before it did.
FAVORITE PARTS
I loved the second story the most. I really dug the entire story of trying to gain his freedom.
OTHER THOUGHTS
Nothing really to add here. It’s probably not a film I’ll ever revisit, but I’m glad I watched it. I’d like to see someone try this format again at some point.
I have no idea who the narrator is supposed to be. I can’t help but think some things like that would add up more if we got the original version of the film before they cut 40 minutes… with that said, I’m glad it’s not 40 minutes longer. It felt too long as it was.