When Mike Flanagan (Hill House is Haunted, Bly Manorand midnight mass) adapted from a Stephen King story, you might expect something spooky. This is indeed his view sleep doctor and Gerrard’s game. This is not the case Chuck’s lifethis is not meant to scare you or plunge you into your darkest nightmare. It’s a story about celebrating what we have – a feeling that’s encapsulated in Tom Hiddleston’s dazzling seven-minute-long dance sequence.
Chuck’s life It actually starts out as a post-apocalyptic story. When recently divorced high school teacher Marty (Chiwetel Ejiofor) interviews parents/teachers, no one is interested in test scores or behavioral issues. Instead, parents talk endlessly about whether the internet is really down forever, or how California is slowly sinking into the ocean. One father was moved to tears thinking about life without Pornhub. These tragedies are too persistent to ignore: major cities are flooded, wildfires burn vast swaths of land, a volcano erupts in Germany, and a sinkhole swallows a car on the same road Marty takes to work.
Then, things got weird. Marty notices a strange billboard thanking a man named Charles “Chuck” Krantz (Hiddleston) for “39 great years!” with no other context. Then ads will appear everywhere. There were TV spots and radio spots during the NPR show, and at one point, there was even a Sky writer thanking Chuck for his service. As advertising becomes ever more abundant, the world around us seems closer and closer to oblivion. Through it all, Marty can’t help but wonder: “Who the hell is Chuck?”
This is the beginning of the movie, but this is the third act Chuck’s life, It moves in reverse. From there, we learn who Chuck is. He is a successful accountant in his late 40s who has accepted a seemingly mediocre life but is reminded of his childhood from time to time. It was then that his grandmother instilled a love of dance that flourished in middle school but ultimately fizzled out.
Then one day, while wandering the streets of Boston after a long day of financial meetings, he heard a busker howling to the beat of a drum, and he couldn’t help but drop his briefcase and start dancing. The whole thing lasts a full seven minutes, and when Hiddleston moves, it’s hard to take your eyes off him. It’s spontaneous, joyful, and he can even pull off a convincing moonwalk. The final act tells the story of young Chuck (Jacob Tremblay) who is forced to deal with multiple tragedies and finds a way to cope through dance. Soon enough, the film’s strange opening brings things back to square one, but I won’t spoil that.
The most striking thing is Chuck’s life It’s the journey that this structure takes you on. At first, when the world falls apart, we get the feeling that we are all small and insignificant. But the rest of the film does the opposite: It shows that every life, even the ones that end too soon, is full of depth and wonder. The metaphor isn’t subtle – this is a Mike Flanagan movie after all. and in some ways, Chuck’s life Indulging in many of his worst tendencies, is not only a lack of subtlety but also a penchant for lengthy monologues and pathos. These elements occasionally spoil his horror work, but they fit right in Chuck’s life Perfect.
Flanagan has always been a storyteller who uses horror as a way to explore drama in a higher state. Here, he simply takes away the fear. Chuck’s life There was no escape from his old habits; on the contrary, it served as the ideal vehicle for them. There’s another reason this is a fitting adaptation, too: right down to the last minute, it’s a haunting ghost story after all.
This review is based on a screening at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Chuck’s life There is currently no theatrical premiere date.
