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The approach may be novel, but the themes in “Here” are classic: The passage of time and how little of our lives we can truly control.

It’s a tale that can certainly be told within one lifetime, but “Here,” adapted from a graphic novel by Richard McGuire, uses many — through millions of years of history. In non-linear fits and starts, we drift through time in one house, seeing every family that passed through its walls. In shorter bursts, we travel back to the distant past, watching moments of counterpoint ranging from the age of the dinosaurs to the present.

It’s certainly gimmicky — and director Robert Zemeckis leans further into the trope by leaving his camera in one spot, viewing generations from a single vantage point. He substitutes time jumps and framed views of other eras for cuts, but “Here” unwinds in one unbroken, though frequently changing, image.

The bare majority of our time is spent with two generations of the Young family, whose love is often tested by circumstance. In the 1940s, Al (Paul Bettany) and Rose (Kelly Reilly) buy their first home when Al returns from World War II; she’s pregnant, and he’s optimistic if troubled by his time in combat.

In the future, their firstborn, Richard (Tom Hanks), dreams of being an artist. But his high-school sweetheart, Margaret (Robin Wright), is pregnant; he takes a job as an insurance salesman, and dreams are put on hold.

The theme that emerges is one of uncertainty and struggle. Generations past and present try to control the world around them; life continues apace, regardless of anyone’s schemes and plans. Some generations have moments of true joy (back in the flapper era, an affable inventor (Gwilym Lee) and his loving wife (Ophelia Lovibond) invent the reclining armchair) while others have much more profound tragedies than those experienced by the Youngs (we see glimpses of two pandemics, 100 years apart).

Those other glimpses serve as complementary moments, however, to the quietly beautiful and heartbreaking lives of the main characters. These are people who are desperate to appreciate what they have in spite of endless slings and arrows — and who also need to keep the wolves of regret at bay.

It’s moving, particularly for anyone with enough years in the rear-view mirror to relate to the how-did-I-get-here of it all. “Here” may be a bit saccharine, but it earns that sentiment with care and deliberate beauty.

My Rating: 9/10

“Here” is now playing in theaters.