Film Review: The House of Tomorrow Uses Punk To Challenge Old Ways
SYNOPSIS: THE HOUSE OF TOMORROW tells the story of a sheltered teen raised inside a geodesic dome who befriends a rebellious kid and forms a punk band to escape an oppressive grandmother, an overprotective father, and the looming legacy of renowned futurist Buckminster Fuller.
Based on the novel by Peter Bognanni and directed by Peter Livolsi, The House of Tomorrow puts an intriguing twist on the “coming of age tale”. It is wholesome and sweet, especially when focusing on its protagonist Sebastian (Asa Butterfield). His wide, blue eyes look at the world with a curious intrigue, like a baby discovering ice cream, but that is natural considering how hidden he has been from the world.
Butterfield uses his quiet charm to make Sebastian’s naivety understandable, especially after you see his cultish upbringing. Ellen Burstyn plays his Nana with righteous protectiveness that seems befitting for someone trying to make the world something it is not. Infatuated with the legacy of futurist Buckminster Fuller, she has taken the orphaned boy and spent the last 16 years of his life trying to mold him into this scientific legend’s image. Her role is silently alarming because, in a way, she is a benevolent grandmother, but she is also incredibly oppressive, slightly deranged, and definitely narcissistic. This could explain why Sebastian flocks to friend Jared Whitcomb (Alex Wolff).
Wolff makes Jared a completely charismatic jerk. He is snark, biting, and manipulative of Sebastian’s innocence. Yet, his darkness stems from rightful bitterness over being 16, and already on “death row” due to his struggles with a heart transplant. While the premise of the film is unique, it is the friendship between Sebastian and Jared that makes it distinct. These two characters are sharing experiences that not many kids should or can say they have, but yet manage to reveal there is fundamental nature to teen angst. Even Jared’s sister Meredith (played vulnerably and perfectly by Maude Apatow) has her rebellions locked and loaded against her over-protective but incredibly kind father Alan (Nick Offerman).
Offerman is so loving as the Whitcomb dad that you want to hug him as he struggles to understand that over-protecting your kids is not a sign of love; though he cannot compare to Burstyn’s Nana. Still, both characters share the same side of a smothering, parental spectrum, despite differing in degrees. Yet, their genuine love for their children redeems and lifts House of Tomorrow from being “another movie” where the “adults” just don’t “understand”. Instead, House of Tomorrow is about realizing you might not ever comprehend the choice of your parents or kids, but you can love anyone through a misunderstanding.
It makes sense that, at the heart of the film’s premise, is the punk band Sebastian and Jared form: The Rash. Punk Rock music has been the soundtrack for youth feeling intense, misunderstood, and eager to break the confines of structures they never built but are forced to live in. Whether it is the shadow of someone’s legacy or health issues, there is always “something” that sheds what can feel like a systemic overcast upon our spirit and dreams. House of Tomorrow is about realizing that any odd built against you can be transformed into a creative work like punk music. House of Tomorrow Comes Out In Theaters On April 27.
