From Andrea Minchella
Opinion
Brian E. Charles, by Jim Archer (Brian & Charles, UK – US 2022, 90 min).
Modern fairy tale. its old. A poetic and absurd tale that makes us laughAnd the, moves us and confronts us with the ancestral problem of human unity, And not only. If all efforts, in fact, of man, since his appearance on earth, have been made to diminish the loneliness that accompanies us throughout our existence, then Brian in the film is one of many romantics. From the history of cinema that He does everything to fill this feeling of emptiness Which, even after birth, creeps inside us without ever giving up on us. But The movie “Brian and Charles” is also an interesting reflection on the difference, disability, and difficulty of some living in this world.growing violent, numb and unable to listen, but still always ready to judge. Jim Archer creates a story that is light, funny, but full of emotion that is able to awaken the “baby” that lives in each one of us.
Brian is a middle-aged man who lives in a remote country in the cold and gray north of England. He spends his days among useless and ineffective inventions, and a social life shattered to the bone. He often identifies between trash and litter the things that motivate him to invent new equipment. One day he found a mannequin’s head that pushes him to build a robot. Thanks to the use of an old washing machine, which has become the upper torso, Brian completes the automatic machine, dressing it in old, giant clothes worthy of a mature English pensioner. When tested for ignition, it is clear that the robot shows no signs of life. But one evening, when Brian returns home from one of his inconclusive and futile night excursions, You find Themechanical work mannequin, Determined to eat cabbage in Brian’s garage he, upset for the first five minutes, immediately gets used to the idea of the new company. As if he was a newborn, the robot receives a name from Brian. Charles Petrescu, as man decided to call himself, seemed to immediately become attached to Brian’s life and person. A strong and ‘old’ bond is instantly created between the two as if the two have known each other for life.
The story continues between the primal and the real Brian’s falling in love with the quirky and equally serene Hazel, the eternal struggle with “ugly and bad” neighbors, and a surreal friendship that grows intense and harrowing. But the tone, deliberately decided by the director, always remains light and light. The script always puts the story back on the path of pure entertainment. The adventure of the two characters, with the addition of Hazel in the second part of the story, always remains lagging in terms of a more structured depth that would make us think seriously about the difficulties that some groups face, such as the elderly with Alzheimer’s, children with autism or Down syndrome and all the people who suffer from physical or mental impairment, To live in contemporary society which tend more and more to exclude rather than include diversity.
However, “Brian and Charles” remained A precious picture of the relationship that develops between sensitive and more vulnerable people. The magnetism that arises between certain beings becomes stronger than any other relationship. The exchange that occurs between funny Brian and delicate Charles becomes the original and solid foundation of the entire story. Archer uses “topo” in the fairy tale to tell a small but powerful story about friendship and love. Only sympathy, sensitivity and a barrage of cabbage, used Lead, he will be able to save this humanity that has become so deaf, insensitive and self-referential.
***
review
LEIs, by Spike Jones (He, US 2013, 126 min).
Spike Jonze writes and creates One of the most powerful and contradictory love stories in the history of cinema. Joaquin Phoenix falls madly in love with a strong and sensual voice capable of completely turning his life upside down. Scarlett Johansson’s voice, in the original version, creeps into the viewer’s mind, unleashing new and powerful emotions. The protagonist’s loneliness becomes the epic loneliness of man. The love that Theodore feels for Samantha is the universal love one feels for oneself. Almost always.
A masterpiece that must be reviewed in order to get an original view of technological progress and its devastating impact on man.