_{By: Amanda Guarragi}

Stephen King has been crowned the “Horror King” because of his ability to create a haunting and suspenseful atmosphere in his novels. His novels not only consist of the horror of the world or the evil people are capable of, but he also shows different sides of humanity. King’s novels are enriching when he ties supernatural elements with his characters. 

King uses memories to form the perception of one’s life. Have they done enough to be fulfilled? Have they achieved their dreams? More importantly, how can they fix the past that haunts them? The main fear in life is growing old and wondering what your life could have been. Humans constantly question if they’ve made the right decisions. 

King creates layers of reflection for his characters to process who they are. His stories have a grand scope, but the intimate character moments shape the journey. King details every emotion of his characters, unlike any other writer. When reading his novels, you become fully immersed in the atmosphere with the characters and feel whatever they’re feeling. 

In The Life of Chuck, directed by Mike Flanagan, there’s an overwhelming sense of comfort and joy. Stephen King’s novella is adapted quite beautifully by Flanagan as he expands upon the themes of existentialism, grief and love. The film is non-linear and works effectively backwards as we learn more about Chuck (Tom Hiddleston/Jacob Tremblay/Benjamin Pajak) throughout his life. 

Flanagan begins with an apocalyptic event that has the Internet go down. The world is in chaos, and people start to reconnect with others. Marty Anderson (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a divorced teacher who believes in the “Big Bang Theory” and states that humans contain multitudes. His ex-wife, Felicia Gordon (Karen Gillan), remains in contact with him, and they have this particular discussion when the world is about to end. In this first act, Marty meets some familiar faces as he explores the neighbourhood on his way to Felicia’s house. Sam Yarbrough (Carl Lumbly) and Lily (Violet McGraw) speak to him about the little things he may have missed about the world. They talk to him about shared childhood memories and the feelings they remember. 

Once Marty gets to Felicia’s house, they sit in the backyard, looking up at the beautiful night sky and reminisce about Charles ‘Chuck’ Krantz. Marty and Felicia heard him on the radio, and they didn’t realize Chuck had been part of their lives as a radio host for 39 years. Flanagan focused on the small, mundane moments we often take for granted. It played like an emotional passage through time as Flanagan explored important moments throughout Chuck’s life. Flanagan showed how Chuck would be remembered as he lay on his deathbed. The movie works backwards, and it’s impactful because we are reminded at the very beginning how insignificant we are. As we see glimpses of Chuck’s important moments, we also remember the ones that shape us. 

The second and third act shifts from dreamlike whimsy because of beautifully choreographed dance sequences brimming with joy. Hiddleston and Benjamin Pajak dance their hearts out as Chuck’s love of dance was shown from a young age. In this section, we reminisce about our past dreams but also feel sorrow as most adults don’t attain what they’ve always wanted. The path changes as the world throws curveballs, and once we recognize we should have kept dreaming, it’s far too late. The fast-paced nature of making a living and responsibilities cloud our minds as adults, and we quickly forget what makes life worth living. 

While watching The Life of Chuck, it doesn’t feel like a Stephen King adaptation until the final act. The supernatural elements are tied in, and Chuck’s childhood trauma is explored. At this moment, the tone shifts, and a heavy weight of sadness rips through you. Chuck loses himself and finds it hard to find his imagination because his perception of the world is skewed. His grandfather, Albie Krantz (Mark Hamill), guides him through adolescence and helps him find a new path. The non-linear narrative shows the flow of memories once Chuck reflects on the final moments of his life. Hamill delivers a beautiful speech about accounting and math to Jacob Tremblay and finds the art in numbers. For those who have lost their way after a devastating loss, the final act of this film reassures audiences everything will be okay. 

The Life of Chuck is Mike Flangan’s most poignant and humanistic work, contemplating the moments you may have missed or taken for granted. Flanagan brings back his favourite cast members and gives them all small roles so fans will find comfort in seeing them. It almost feels like a meditation for viewers. Flanagan goes through these stages everyone has gone through. Whether you’ve gone through a similar event to Chuck or not, this film will resonate with everyone.