by Foster Harlfinger, Contributing Writer
Directed by Mike Flanagan, based on a novella by Stephen King, comes the most… life-affirming film of the year? You would have to squint in order to see any hint of horror in The Life of Chuck, a major tonal departure from the prior works of its director and original author.
As the title suggests, the film presents the life of Charles “Chuck” Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) as a series of three vignettes told in reverse-chronological order. We begin with “Act Three,” the most mysterious of the film’s segments, in which high school English teacher Marty Anderson (Chiwetel Ejiofor) finds the world around him coming to an unexplained, apocalyptic end. Flanagan utilizes this act as a calibration tool, asking his audience to confront the vastness of the universe and their place within it. If viewed on its own, “Act Three” would read as an incredibly bleak depiction of life, but it is only through this cosmic exploration of just how minuscule humanity is in the lifetime of the universe that Flanagan can pull his audience back in for the emotional payoffs to come.
It is not until “Act Two” that we get a fully realized depiction of Hiddleston’s Chuck, played later by both Jacob Tremblay and Benjamin Pajak (in a breakout performance). Bookended by the playful narration of Nick Offerman, the midsection of the film centers around a dance-themed set piece so bold and whimsical that the entire purpose of the film suddenly locks into place.
To describe the plot of the film on paper runs the risk of making it sound like a Hallmark movie, but the message of The Life of Chuck is delivered with such truth and sincerity that it completely hits. The film is overtly sentimental in a way that feels legitimately countercultural. Flanagan’s secret weapon as a filmmaker, regardless of genre, has always been his willingness to wear his heart on his sleeve without fear of coming across as sappy or pretentious. The simplicity of Chuck’s story, combined with the film’s remarkable earnestness, makes it an experience which will not land for everyone. In some ways, the film is a litmus test for your own ability to withstand emotional sincerity so extreme that it could be read as corny if viewed through a certain lens.
However, if you can find your way into the rich, life-affirming tapestry of The Life of Chuck, you may not leave the theater the same person you were when you walked inside. Flanagan’s script, largely borrowed from King’s original story, cuts through all the noise to deliver a message of emotional cleansing, a true mental reset in a time where it remains too easy to get lost in the frantic pace of everyday life that we can forget the healing power of pure, unadulterated joy.
Rating: Loved It
The Life of Chuck is currently playing in theaters
You can read more from Foster Harlfinger, and follow him on Letterboxd