Drama
Fantasy
This Movie Contains Multitudes: A TIFF Review of ‘The Life of Chuck’
September 10, 2024Ben MK
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What happens when we die, and how are we supposed to begin to grasp the nature of our own mortality? That's the unsolvable, existential question that has plagued humanity for as long as civilization has existed. And in Stephen King's acclaimed 2020 short story, The Life of Chuck, it's a theme that drives the three-part novella. Now, writer-director Mike Flanagan, best known for being the creative mastermind behind such hit Netflix series as The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass and The Fall of the House of Usher, is bringing King's life-affirming tale to the big screen. But does this adaptation hold up in its translation from the prose on the page to feature-length film? Starring Tom Hiddleston as the film's titular character — whose full name is Charles Krantz — the story begins with a terrifying series of apocalyptic events that seem to announce that the world as we know it is ending. First, it's the Internet that goes down for good, followed by the shutdown of television stations, radio broadcasts and the power grid. At the same time, however, mysterious billboards, TV and radio ads begin to inexplicably appear, thanking the man known as Chuck for 39 great years. With his his friendly smile beaming out at those that look upon these ads, his is a visage that's both comforting and ambiguously threatening. But just who is this Chuck, and is there any correlation between him and the end of the world? As the movie goes on, viewers will slowly be given the information that will allow them to begin to unravel this conundrum, as Flanagan reveals the identity of the individual everyone is wondering about, and how his life story ties in with the events of the film's early goings-on. For those wholly unfamiliar with King's short story, though, it's the way Flanagan unpacks the core mystery of its central character that greatly contributes to the movie's emotional impact. Told in three distinct, compelling acts — unfolding in reverse chronological order, just as in the source material — the result isn't the first to use a time-altered narrative structure to enhance the poignancy of its themes and subject matter. Unlike the vast majority of other tales to employ such an approach, however, The Life of Chuck is, arguably, the most successful. Both a powerful and sincere drama about the fragility of life and an uplifting story about how we should all make the most of our time on this planet, it's the type of film that will inspire both the heart and the mind. And in the end, isn't that what the magic of movies is all about? |
The Life of Chuck screens under the Special Presentations programme at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Its runtime is 1 hr. 50 min.
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