By John Corrado

The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 5th to 15th, more information on tickets and showtimes can be found right here.

The Life of Chuck finds director Mike Flanagan crafting another Stephen King adaptation, following his The Shining sequel Doctor Sleep. Whatever you are expecting from Flanagan, best known for his Netflix horror melodramas, and King, known as the master of literary horror stories, this movie is a pleasant surprise. It feels at once familiar to fans of their work, but also unexpected and different. It’s something special and really wonderful.

The film is told through three chapters, that are presented in reverse-chronological order. The first act introduces us to Marty (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a middle school English teacher experiencing strange things starting to happen all around him. It seems like the world might actually be ending. The only constant are the billboards and TV ads that keep popping up in honour of Charles “Chuck” Krantz (Tom Hiddleston), an accountant who is retiring after 39 years.

Watching The Life of Chuck is to witness master storytellers at work. As we start to sense how this triptych puzzle might be pieced together, it’s immensely satisfying to watch them pull it off. In adapting King’s strangely personal novella for the screen, Flanagan nimbly balances a mix of tones; dark comedy, apocalyptic tale, and incredibly poignant human drama, with moments of eeriness and hints of a ghost story. The film is incredibly entertaining to watch as it shifts between genres, but deeply moving as well.

Flanagan’s skill is on display throughout these three chapters, which all feel distinct but also build on each other beautifully. Hiddleston leads a sequence of pure movie magic in the midsection that is one of the best scenes of the year, paying tribute to the dance sequences in classic Hollywood musicals. It’s a bravura, show-stopping sequence that got mid-movie applause from the audience at the film’s premiere (similar to Green Book, La La Land and Silver Linings Playbook, which all went on to win the festival’s People’s Choice Award).

There is a fable-like quality to the film’s final chapter exploring Chuck’s origins, that is not unlike the coming-of-age classic Stand By Me, also adapted from a King short story. Flanagan wisely uses his excellent cast as a true ensemble; Hiddleston’s is excellent and his presence is felt throughout the film, while Mark Hamill gets several moments as Chuck’s grandfather Albie that are some of his finest work.

The film itself feels like a true original, and The Life of Chuck is probably my favourite thing Mike Flanagan has done. By the end of it, Flanagan has pulled off something that feels haunting but also life-affirming, about finding joy as the world is possibly ending. Watching it unfold is an unforgettable and deeply cathartic cinematic experience.

Film Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)

Public Screenings: Friday, September 6th, 6:00 PM at Princess of Wales; Saturday, September 7th, 11:30 AM at Princess of Wales; Friday, September 13th, 12:35 PM at Scotiabank Theatre; Saturday, September 14th, 6:15 PM at TIFF Lightbox; Sunday, September 15th, 6:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre