Written by Nicole Cabrera

Warning: The following review is of a film that is part of TIFF 2024 and may contain spoilers for The Life of Chuck. Reader discretion is advised.

One of the greatest struggles any artist will tell you there is capturing the nuisances of what it is to be alive. Artists, scientists, philosophers have tried for hundreds of years to reckon with life, death and everything in between; is it important to leave a legacy? To follow one’s dreams? Or to simply live and try to make the ordinary special? How could one possibly put the context of life into images-the seconds, minutes, smallest details, greatest losses and joys — as it is so universally and uniquely different for every person? And yet, director Mike Flanagan is up to the task and does so, in his latest film, The Life of Chuck.

Despite being touted as a lover of the dark and macabre, make no mistake, Mike Flanagan is not a one-trick pony — while his world is more horror-tinged than other creators, he is also no stranger to the world of creating heartbreak on screen. He is more so known for his moving works on Netflix like Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass which artfully combine the supernatural with the crushing emotions of being human. Flanagan is also one of the best adapters of King's novels at work today, easy holding par with Frank Darabont and Rob Reiner with works such as Doctor Sleep. It should come as no surprise that he is able to bring such passion to such a worthy tale based on one of King's novellas.

The Life of Chuck is a tale told in reverse, when we join the story we are on the verge of the end of the world, we just don't know it yet... Following the happenings of small town we see a colourful cast of characters; teacher Marty (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and his ex Felicia (Karen Gillan) are at the center of the story as the world turns on its head and slowly falls apart. At first, there are small changes, with appearances of a man known only as Charles Krantz (Tom Hiddelston) being “thanked for his 39 years of service!” except, no one in town knows who this mystery man is. We see the inkling of bad things to come — a rise in natural disasters happening across the globe, states start breaking off the mainland, the gradual loss of connection to the rest of the world; then one another as modern technology fades away and the ominous visage of Charles Krantz seems to haunt the town more prominently.

As the town seems to start to physically splinter at the seams, Marty and Felicia seek comfort in one another as it becomes clear, the end is near. We watch as the stars start to go out one by one — like candles being snuffed out — here, Flanagan brings that true dread to something that is completely out of the characters’ hands; they are just victims of circumstance and that mix of emotions of panic, fear and ultimately, acceptance of one's fate is executed beautifully. As the world closes in, it feels like the end, but we're truly back at the beginning.

We're introduced instead to Charles Krantz — the mystery man of the posters. Charles Krantz (Chuck) for all intents and purposes has a normal life; he's an accountant, he's married, has a child and lives a life most people strive for. Hiddelston is a standout in the role of Chuck because he has the dual ability to both look like a Hollywood movie star and a mild mannered man from a New England town that King often writes about. Chuck, like most people, is someone who has many layers to him; we learn he has a passion for music and dance through glimpses of his childhood and- not surprisingly, the middle of the film is dedicated to a street dance performance between Chuck and a group of street musicians he meets.

The audience is given a brief glimpse into what happening in these characters’ lives despite the short screen time, but it does a good job of instilling in the audience the notion that everyone is going through their own journey and they have their own reason for being where they are. Chuck’s fancy footwork is enough to make anyone smile — as someone who's partial to a good dance scene, it lightens the mood compared to the sharp contrast of doom-and-gloom of the previous chapter. However, not all is well in this lighthearted detour — Chuck begins to show signs that trouble is brewing on the horizon. Through headaches and pain all is not well for our mild-mannered man.

As we enter the last section of this tale, all the pieces begin to fall into place and the full image of Charles Krantz comes into view. Charles Krantz is not some superhero, spy, or someone with lots of money and a jet-setting lifestyle. In fact, he’s the opposite: he's ordinary. The Life of Chuck is exactly as its title says — the life of one man. Chuck is a young boy (played by the phenomenal Cody Flanagan and Jacob Tremblay) who faces tragedy; losing his parents and unborn sister in a car accident and is thus brought up by his grandparents Sarah and Albie Krantz (Mia Sarah and Mark Hamill). Through Chuck's eyes we see what are the ups and downs of life — with a lot of firsts; his first crush, first embarrassment, first kiss. Moreover in his life with his grandparents Chuck finds he has a passion for dance and music that his grandmother encourages to flourish and allows him to be silly and free; later he also learns the importance of math from his grandfather who keeps him more grounded.

We also are opened up to that King spark of something odd or weird in an otherwise normal town — in this case, Albie has the room at the top of the stairs bolted shut. Despite Chuck’s attempts to get into it, it holds something Albie Krantz fears. Whomever goes into it is faced with the reality of how they will die; as our tale is told in reverse, we learn the truth — that everything we’ve seen till this point on top of being Chuck’s life is also how it ends, Charles Krantz dies of cancer at the age of thirty nine and we see the gradual end of what would appear to be an ordinary man’s life — and with him goes all him memories, his experiences, everything he has ever done goes out one by one, like the stars in the night sky.

The Life of Chuck is a reflection of reality — despite everything good or bad, time doesn’t stop — it may stop for us personally when tragedies occur but ultimately, the world marches on, even when we don’t want it to. Likewise, it's also an introspection on the fact that life is both beautiful but ultimately, it can be cruel. Why are some people snuffed out so young when they have the world at their feet or those who love them so dearly? There is no answer sadly, as Flanagan paints a bittersweet look at death — it is something that will be waiting for us all, yet we do our best to live our lives for those moments, those dances, those kisses, those relationships. Chuck is ultimately a slow burn film; its visual appeal lies in Flanagan’s eye for details big and small, creating eye-catching worlds full of colour and nostalgia we secretly yearn for. It is a true slice of life without any action-adventure plot; it's just living — something we do for the most part without thinking — as it presents endless summers,childhood games and small quaint towns in clarity. It's meandering, and waxes and wanes in its subject matter; much like life: there are good days and bad days. As a film, when the mystery comes to light, the audience will either be engaged into seeing how it ends, or lose interest.

Despite this, the film is touching as it holds up a mirror to the aspects of being human; that it is easy to get caught up in everything — personal issues big or small, global atrocities, et cetera — but everything is happening at once for everyone we have ever known and everyone we will ever meet. There is beauty along with the terror of being alive and one day, despite everything, it will end.

In a world in which we are in constant fear of being forgotten and we seek our fifteen minutes of fame, it's crucial to see that we do have that — in one another — you may never interact with someone, know them for a short time or a long time, fall in love or out of love but, the beauty lies in the fact that all those people good and bad at the end of the day stay with us. They become part of us — shape us into the people we will become — they are the multitudes that make you — you and, in a very Stephen King-esque way, we all live on forever.

Nicole Cabrera is a Toronto-based film enjoyer with a passion for the eighties, horror, and deep diving their favourite actors’ obscure filmography. When they’re not watching movies, they're writing, crafting, cosplaying, going to concerts, working on their podcast (Hollywood Deepdive. )and dreaming of traveling.