
Synopsis: A feel-good tale that transcends stylistic boundaries, making it unique, and amazing is based on a novella by Stephen King, which narrates the three segments in the life of a common adult man Charles Krantz.
As I stared at my laptop, trying to figure out how to start this piece about Mike Flanagan’s new film, The Life of Chuck, two stories came to mind. None of them are very interesting, but they are both rather connected to the movie in question that had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. The first is closer to an observation than anything else. Almost like meager remembrances of the past. I cannot exactly remember when I first came across the lines of “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman. But one thing that features prominently in that poem is the following: “I am large, I contain multitudes.” For some reason, I think it is a fantastic line. And every now and then something that I’ll see or read will remind me of the moment I first came across it. So you can imagine the shock when, in The Life of Chuck, I heard it said out loud. It prepared my emotions for something entirely different, which I will explain shortly. If I walked away from The Life of Chuck if there is no such thing as a rush in this world. I have so many more things to discuss and do just that, sort myself out.
As you know, I get inspired by a lot of things, and dancing is one of those things. I dance on the street and at agricultural fairs as though I’m heading to the most exciting fests. Many people have seen me dance actively and break out into the grooves of ‘Dancing Alex.’ So where do I begin, how about I resolve to dance throughout the night to my heart’s content? I enjoy watching movies almost more than dancing, which does us a favor as a name choice. Well, this brings me to the thought that during one such widely featured dance-party sequence in TLOC, I should have known better than to hope that Flanagan would never unveil such an emotional history to me again. But even as I was about to push away, I found Dan, Claire, and the other cast members performing one of the best-staged fights at a packed auditorium. Most of the time, I have to keep my emotions in check when I talk about my favorite artists and fellow students.
He observed that life consists of ‘moments’ and one should no or even more than that simply appreciate these but also preserve them. And watching this film for the very first is a moment that I am sure I will never forget.
The film starts comically, but rather cursorily in the least dramatic manner possible: The Life of Chuck’s first act seems like it is trying to be a straight out comedy scene from the movie. If David Dastmalchian appears in a film just once and that once is him looking upset because he lost access to an adult website, and that does not make you laugh, I don’t know what will. As Flanagan loosely introduces the concept of his story, the jokes are already coming in. And embedded in the very DNA of this very film is comedy, yes. But it is part of this addiction’s game as well, a huge amount of queries rest within. That, it seems, would get close to the attention of the viewers unbelievably quickly; it presents them with a number of themes that will be expanded upon throughout the entire duration of a lifetime. But what this film and Stephen’s short story of the same name have in common is that there are simply some puzzles that are nicer not to solve. The Life of Chuck accepts the idea that the human body is full of constructs that are yet to be discovered. Does witnessing even some of them partially uncut alter the perception somehow? Flanagan and King do not seem to be of that opinion.
There are easy captivities in this world which are large and small as well. For what reason do many of us refrain from uttering the most important words until it is too late? What is the cause of such awful evils befalling good people? What’s the reason nightmares occur? The Life of Chuck and the Life of Charles “Chuck” Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) contains many of these and more – so many more. Not all of them are answered, but not because the writers have a poor explanation for whatever phenomena they depict. That is an entirely new pattern. This is Steve King we are talking about. This is a man who has capitalized off of the claim that we won’t always have an answer to the unknown until it is too late. And that you can never know the answer until you are actively within the darkness and can only be horrified by what you see. But there is at times a third answer to King ikons. And so gradually, so gradually, I have started going in dive with Old.
Over a long-lasting and very prosperous career, King has given us some of the best tales in history. Even then he succeeded in horrifying millions and this includes your’s truly. But many of his novels have also been tear-jerkers for us the Constant Readers. He has the audacity to jump from pure terror to intense drama or a deep search for meaning without the slightest delay. Quite a lot of it is present in his unbridled horror tales, however, when he develops some extraordinarily human like in The Shawshank Redemption or 11/22/63 or Fairy Tale or The Life of Chuck, it is all the more amazing. It serves as a lesson that in the real world, life never works quite as cleanly as one would hope. It is often the strange turns that have the greatest impact on the people. At this stage in his career, it is normal to expect someone like King to handle multiple stories across various styles and genres. He however has some really intriguing ways of going about the stories which leaves me constantly excited. The Life of Chuck, in arguably its stand-out sequence during the second act, does just that.
It is immediate for Flanagan to make one of such great and interesting sequences that, before you know it, you’ve grown so attached to it, that you are nearly in tears as to what it ultimately leads to.
In the course of the second part, narrator Nick Offerman is worried about the thoughts that a busker who plays the drums might be going through. Now, although there are no contributions in her hat, the narrator tells us she seems not to care. In her words, “There is time”. The film opens with what is said to be the last end of the world, hence it is darkly comical to think of a sequence in a flashback style. Because it is a reverse chronicle out of the story, most of the time is hardly any! But do we not all know that already? How indeed it is supposed to take place? Perhaps the universe as such would collapse before our time comes. But at a more personal level, yes we all know that everything has an expiry date someday. That is why the focus shifts towards will we reconcile with that inevitable end. And this is phenomenally the toughest part for quite a few people. Including myself. So what if it all comes to an end somehow, why not make a point to go out scoring goals? If there is no way to change what is inevitable, it is not right for the house to simply walk away with all the pleasures of winning.
Seeing Chuck walking her way, the street performer does what she can to tease him into the show. And so she initiates a dramatic and unplanned change of the beat and explains her surprise at what she has witnessed. In all honesty, everyone in the auditorium shared the same sentiment. It even seems as though Chuck is taken aback, as on many occasions, he appears to be more of a puppet than a self-dancing individual. But for about seven minutes Flanagan entertains his audience with what fans of Hiddleston will appreciate the most: a long dance when Hiddleston is clothed quite formally. If I may say so, it is astonishing. It is one of the better musical sequences I have seen in quite a while. And the explanation for all this is not only the choreography and the direction of the sequence (which are both perfect!). This is because, in this part of the film, Flanagan actually witnesses something quite sincere. Even though it is a particular sequence that I am sure was prepped for quite a lot of time, he somehow manages to encapsulate the essence of spontaneity and raw emotion and unleash it onto the camera. For this sequence, you do believe as if Chuck, and by that nature, Hiddleston, has been completely swept up in the rhythms and beats being carried to his ears.
The minute that a person begins to take their first few steps with the camera one can easily say that there is no joy that is false. They connect on an emotional level, which is important as there are plenty of films that can make one feel good, but without the unity of such a nature, there is no way to create something. There is beauty and hope in their dancing. Because we are fully aware of Chuck\’s remaining time. He could have suspicions, perhaps. But at that exact moment, at that specific instant, it is a problem for another day, the time in the future when such a fear may arise. And when such time finally comes when there is the realization that that time is close it is hoped that there are few memories to cherish. And I hope this will be such a moment. A bright smile might be all that is needed to pass through the doors.
We return to the focus on Chuck- as a young boy- in the previous act since this was the long-awaited act. Although not dominant in this film, it is clear that Chuck exists somewhere in the background. And it is in this (say finally although this is the earliest in terms of events) that everything that has had a big storyline viewer at home who makes guest appearances through the billboards, through the radio, through television, and from some other hostile just who is chuck; Really? He is just a boy who likes to dance and watch musicals with his grandmother, and from time to time, he engages in some arithmetic with his grandfather. His thought process is like that of any toddler for he has an inquisitive brain. He possesses the same fascination, and he possesses the same anxiety, and those monotonous phases of life that we all experience during our childhood. However, and this is one of the main ideas of a large portion of the works of King, he is all. And it is not just about the plot. It’s about the life. Each one of us has an experience, whether we are aware or not, and each one of us carries with us the story of the human race.
According to Whitman, and as Chuck’s teacher (wonderfully played by Kate Siegel) shows to him, we are many. Some of our aspects may even seem contradictory, and? It is even better if we appreciate variety within ourselves and learn to adapt to what circumstances require. Right at the end of the film, Chuck’s grandpa is played by the awesome Mark Hamill. This character helps devise a very content-oriented perspective on life.
In a way, he’s also right. Everything that exists within life’s enigma including man’s desire to exist in a realm bigger than life can also be systematically simplified and expressed in the form of equations. However, this isn’t all that life has to offer. Life is just too large and always transforming to be easily defined as such. With life comes pure emotion. There are things that we do simply because we feel like doing them. Walk several miles along with a total stranger. Break into dance in the middle of the street. Unlock the doors of the house where the place is shrouded by curiosity and fear of the unknown. Life cannot be lived by some correct model. Life is simply about getting on with the day, day after day. And we do all of this knowing what will happen someday. Throughout the film, Flanagan reiterates similar sentiments: “The waiting is the stress.” But this is life, and that’s what we are left with. If all we can do is wait, then wait we will do but let it be the most enjoyable and pleasant and inspiring wait that there could ever be.
Although The Life of Chuck is primarily about every aspect of death, the novel’s deep-rooted sense of hope may prove that the film’s director Mike Flanagan built a masterpiece.
The film The Life of Chuck had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. For additional details about the film, please click this link.
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