The Life of Chuck 4K 2024

The renowned Austrian psychologist and philosopher Viktor Frankl, having endured the horrors of a concentration camp, reflected extensively on the nature of happiness after his liberation. According to Frankl, striving for happiness is pointless — the more we think about it and the more we strive to be happy, the faster we move away from happiness and feel bad. Frankl said that it is important not to dwell on this idea, but to shift your attention to something else whenever possible. In other words, you shouldn't think about happiness at all — it will come to you in the moment, it will arise on its own.

Who is Chuck, the main character of this wonderful film? Just a man — an ordinary accountant, a family man. There is hardly anything else to say about Chuck, because he didn't make it into Forbes, didn't buy a yacht, didn't win the Nobel Prize, didn't save a dying person, didn't write a book, didn't make a fortune. There are millions of such people on Earth, every second person could call himself Chuck.

It would seem, why even make a drama about a man whose story could make anyone yawn? Maybe there were some incredible events in the man's life, amazing discoveries that would be interesting to learn about? But no — the hero's life cannot be called interesting. Throughout the entire film, we see only a few significant events in Chuck's life, but they are not presented or portrayed as anything remarkable.

So why make this film? To show how valuable Chuck is. He is a miracle. The entire universe and the whole world fit inside his head. His thoughts and emotions are a priceless gift, and he himself is remarkable simply because he exists. His childhood, youth, and adulthood follow their course, and Chuck is happy in the moment. Although many events in his life are very tragic. It would seem that in such a life there is almost no room for smiles and joy, but the hero still achieves what many rich people with money, yachts, and fake smiles cannot achieve.

The hero feels joy in his soul when he dances as an adult on the street with a casual acquaintance and in the kitchen with his grandmother. It is these “trivial” events, which simply happened at some point and did not become turning points, that were happiness.

We see many deaths and other depressing events in “Chuck's Life.” This is not presented in chronological order, which works to the film's advantage. The film leaves only a bright smile behind, which is surprising given the overall pessimistic atmosphere.

I would say that Chuck was the kind of person who never sought to be happy, but managed to become so. The film makes you think about how precious everyone who is born and comes to this Earth is. How deep is the world of a teacher, a florist in a flower shop, a businessman, a sailor, and an office clerk. How fragile life is and how easily everything can be destroyed, even if yesterday it seemed that tomorrow would be cloudless. Live here and now — that is the motto of this somewhat tragic, but at the same time life-affirming film. For the fact that, with the simplicity of the plot, it made us think about what is important and eternal.