Based on the 2020 novella by Stephen King and directed by Mike Flanagan comes a life affirming story about a man called Charles “Chuck” Krantz (Tom Hiddleston, Jacob Tremblay and Benjamin Pajak). Told in backwards chronological order, we get to know Chuck through all the important moments of his life.
King and Flanagan are usually known for their various horror projects. People don’t think that they are behind other, more contemporary stories too. This was one that I went into mostly blind and I’m glad that I did. I knew that this was going to be an emotional roller coaster and in order to completely absorb it, I needed to be completely open minded.
Deciding to tell the story in reverse order was a bold choice. It won’t work for everyone and it certainly threw me off at first. As a result, the audience may think they’re watching a different film from what it actually ends up being. The pieces of the puzzle only really come together in the final act when Chuck is a child that we get all the answers. The little nuggets that help tie it together are really smart too.
The cast are absolute standouts, delivering solid performances. While Hiddleston may be the titular Chuck and features on the film’s poster, he isn’t actually featured that much. Still, his scene and the dance sequence that occurs during it is probably one of the best in all of cinematic history. Karen Gillan and Chiwetel Ejiofor are a divorced couple who spend the last day on Earth together. Mia Sara and Mark Hamill are brilliant as Chuck’s grandparents Sarah and Albie. Matthew Lillard, Rahul Kohli, Violet McGraw, Kate Siegel and Samantha Sloyan all had small but important roles in the story of Chuck’s life. It was nice to see some familiar faces from Flanagan’s previous works.
Overall, The Life of Chuck is a peculiar film that packs quite the emotional punch. The storytelling was well done and I love how it drove home the importance of appreciating the smaller moments in life because they are what truly matters. Just because the film focused on Chuck doesn’t mean he’s any more special than anybody else. He contains multitudes like we all do and that was quite something to take away.
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️
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