The Life of Chuck was a novella first published in Stephen King‘s collection “If It Bleeds,” and, if there was a stand-out, it was the story that caught filmmaker Mike Flanagan’s attention. The story shares the best quality of King’s work, tackling some heavy subject matter with a whole lot of heart. Now, Flanagan’s film adaptation has premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, and pulled in some strong reviews as a result.
Vanity Fair spoke with Flanagan and lead star Tom Hiddleston at the TIFF, and both believe that the new adaptation is something special, but also something very different to the usual kind of movies associated with one of the world’s greatest living writers. And, given the cast’s comments on it in the past few months (including A Nightmare on Elm Street‘s Heather Langenkamp), it’s easy to believe them. In Hiddleston’s words:
Well, he’s [King] written something very tender and very wise. I think there is a great wisdom in the soul of the story, which is that it takes courage to hold on to what is good in a world that feels like it’s falling apart.
It’s a story told in reverse chronological order. This makes it not only fairly non-traditional for a film, but a film that (if it fully follows the story) will start out darker than it gets. Flanagan discussed this initial darkness, in particular, and how it relates to the world in which we now live.
I’ve heard it said that every generation feels a little like the world is ending at some point, [but] I still feel like it’s different for us. Institutions we took for granted as propping up our society are failing left and right. Our politics have degraded spectacularly. The sense that it’s breaking down, that the world is moving on, has been increasingly palpable. When I talk to my parents or members of older generations who have been through their own turbulent times, the thing that strikes me is that they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, this is really bad.’
The Life of Chuck Can Be a New King Masterpiece
The Life of Chuck marks a departure for Flanagan, though only a slight one. He’s helmed fan-favorite adaptations such as Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep, but this is his first adaptation of a King tale that is, by and large, free of scares. The Life of Chuck shows the end of one’s life, but it’s not an event used to inspire fear. Quite the opposite, it’s an event that allows that individual to take great stock of what has made his life so special.
Flanagan claimed that King himself doubted that the story would be adaptable as a film. But, in spite of the author’s skepticism about whether it would work as a film, King himself called the adaptation “a happiness machine.” While the majority of critics have agreed with this so far, it is still to be revealed when exactly fans will be able to see the movie for themselves, as The Life of Chuck still does not have a set release date.
