A wonderful ode to living as opposed to waiting

Story: A school teacher (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and his ex-wife (Karen Gillan), reunite under mysterious circumstances. The internet is down; cellular network, TV are about to crash… the world is about to end. Strangely, in their final moments of uncertainty, they stumble upon billboards celebrating an ordinary 39-year-old accountant called Charles Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) aka chuck. Who is he, what is his story and why is he being hailed as a hero?

Review: The film then follows Chuck, his childhood, grief and growing up years. As an adult, dressed in a corporate suit at 39, he breaks into an impromptu dance in the middle of the road. It makes him happy and gets him to think. ‘Why do we wait for an opportunity to be happy? There’s no such thing as the right time. There’s time and what you do with it. You will veer towards art, dance and music in crisis but there’s art to Maths also. There’s beauty and joy in every little thing you do.

Based on the Stephen King novella, and narrated in a non-linear three-act fashion, The Life of Chuck sums up life as we know it. Our fascinating relationship with time lies at the heart of the story. It is as heartfelt, feel-good and soul-stirring as the recent Tom Hanks starrer ‘Here’, which also spoke of dreams and life passing us by. It riiterates, you have every right to feel wonderful.

Tom Hiddleston lends the film its magic. He voices his character’s emotion through his eyes over words, showing us what a fine actor he is. He also finally gets to dance for a good 15 minutes (the film is not a musical) and he’s all things brilliant.

Apocalyptic and fantastical, the film can seem abstract and experimental in its treatment, but the language is universal, and it hits just the right spot – live each moment without delaying your happiness. Do it while you can. You contain multitudes.