I've been writing on this blog on and off for around seven years, and in that time I've gone to close to fifty movies at the Toronto International Film Festival, yet I've never written reviews on here for them. That changes now, and what better way to break the ice than with the latest from one of my absolute favourite filmmakers Mike Flanagan.
Flanagan has made a name for himself as one of the top names in the modern horror genre, offering terrific film work with Doctor Sleep, Hush, and his breakout Oculus, but is more notably the man behind some of the best horror television out there with The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, The Fall of the House of Usher, and my personal favourite Midnight Mass. Throughout all of Flanagan's work there is a beauty to all the macabre, with him twisting classic horror stories into works that have a true sense of humanity to them. The man has made me cry more than once, and with his latest The Life of Chuck, he has mostly pushed the horror to the side allowing those more melancholic ideas of his to take centre stage.
Based on the novella by Stephen King, The Life of Chuck tells the life of Charles Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) through three acts, appearing in reverse order with act three starting the film and act one ending it. I won't go into the nitty gritty of the narrative, as I would recommend either reading the novella first or going in blind as the story is pretty fascinating. Flanagan takes what is already a pretty beautiful and narratively clever story and infuses even more life into it, painting a picture of Charles not only as the man he is but as an amalgamation of countless influences in his life. Charlie Kaufman's adaptation of I'm Thinking of Ending Things is one of my favourites of the decade, and this similarly creates that idea of us being a sum of our many surroundings, and the way Flanagan paints humans as having our own world's inside us was something I found really beautiful. This is truly a film about life as a whole and what it means and what we were put in this world for, and it really feels like a warm hug at times, affirming us that no matter how crazy the world is that we're going to be okay.
Flanagan's work has countless brilliant monologues, often leaving the camera rolling as an actor or actors ramble on in beautiful prose, and this has some of the best monologues from his filmography. Some will probably be irked by the sentimentality of them, but this kind of existential pondering very much speaks to me and I love how it was all written. It helps that this cast is absolutely stellar, boasting countless standout performances amidst one of the most sneakily stacked ensembles of the year. Hiddleston isn't actually on screen that much, but when he is he and Annalise Basso are stunning, with a lengthy dance number featuring the two being one of the movie's many highlights. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Karen Gillan are electric together in the opening act, Matthew Lillard has a really strong scene, David Dastmalchian has one of the most bleakly hilarious lines in the whole movie, and Mia Sara gives a really beautiful performance towards the end of the film. Flanagan fans will also appreciate many of the usual suspects coming back and putting in great work, including but not limited to Rahul Kohli, Kate Siegel, Samantha Sloyan, and the iconic Heather Langenkamp.
All the beauty in this screenplay would be for naught if the film itself didn't deliver, but this is a stunning stunning film. Whether the framing is working in effort of the story or just to paint a beautiful portrait, nearly every frame of the film is a work of art. It's almost meditative to watch the way Flanagan paints this world and that visual style works wonders in aiding the story. The score by the Newton Brothers works similarly, offering a really beautiful soundscape that makes the whole thing feel like poetry. If I had to point to gripes, there is a use of narration that at times didn't really fit for me, but on the whole I wound up liking how it was used so I'm willing to excuse the points early on that I didn't love it. It is also a very sentimental movie, so if you aren't one for melancholy this may not be for you. I love films and literature that ponder like this though, so not only is this made by one of my favourite filmmakers but it wound up being right up my alley. Initially I had this at a 4/5 but even just a night of pondering has made my appreciation grow, this is magnificent. 4.5/5.
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