The Life of Chuck

Tom Hiddleston leads a stellar ensemble cast in Mike Flanagan’s heartbreaking end-of-times drama.

It’s starting to feel like the end times are here.

Unprecedented floods devastate Italy, entire animal species are going extinct, and an earthquake has left part of California under sea level. Soon, the internet cuts out. It’s what one might expect when the world is ending, but then something unexpected happens. A mysterious advertising campaign begins: Chuck is retiring, after 39 years.

Who is Chuck? Is he a talk show host? A radio presenter? Nobody seems to know, but as things in the world turn from bad to worse, the campaign becomes increasingly and unnervingly pervasive.

Curator’s Note

Director Mike Flanagan is no stranger to the work of Stephen King. Having already adapted Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep to the screen, Flanagan returns to King’s writing with an adaptation of his 2020 novella The Life of Chuck.

After carving out a unique place for himself in the horror universe, Flanagan rather surprisingly subverts expectations with a film that dials down the supernatural and macabre (well, somewhat) in favour of heartfelt character journeys and existential concern.

Unlike IT or Carrie, this film won’t make your heart stop – but it might just break it instead.

Reece Goodwin, Curator (Film & TV)