Showing On 8, 10, 11 December
Monday 6:00pm, Wednesday 4:00pm and 6:30pm, Thursday 6:00pm
Watch The Trailer
Storyline (warning: spoilers)
Mike Flanagan has had an artistically fulfilling last 7 years or so, with a combination of grounded, supernatural, and soulful stories that drift inquisitively in the nether sphere of life and death. From the vivid adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House, to the dark absorbing world of Midnight Mass, he’s reliably managed to weave the arc of compelling characters and the question of life and everything connected together, no matter what your belief, even if those examples have often fallen to the darker side of the human condition.
Told in three acts, in reverse, The Life of Chuck is as the film title suggests, a character study of a man named Charles ‘Chuck’ Krantz, played by Tom Hiddleston, Jacob Tremblay and Benjamin Pajak at distinct stages in his lifetime. While Chuck’s impact on those around him is certainly the central theme, there’s also room for other characters to develop and change as well, giving everyone we meet an important gravitas, especially when the key to this storytelling is about heart, uniqueness and truly embracing the here and now – in a very literal sense.
What’s particularly appealing is that it’s rarely overblown or melodramatic, a slower cinematic form certainly works when telling this type of story, all helped by exquisite cinematography from Eben Bolter, and an entirely ideal The Newton Brothers score. In terms of narrative, I will be vague – and less eager – to share specific plot points, but if you head into the cinema with little to no knowledge of the overall story, you’ll absolutely find yourself somewhere within it.
Contemplative, emotional and celebratory – in every respect – Flanagan’s film may not be what you expect with a Stephen King team-up, yet it’s certainly a tale to invest in and possibly the ideal antidote to doomscrolling and the fear of the wider unknown, that’s so actively pushed into our collective minds right now, because for the majority of us, we do have a wonderful life, and that’s always worth remembering.