Written by: Chris Hayward & David Earl / Directed by: Jim Archer / Distributed by Universal Pictures International / 90 Minutes / Released: 8th July 2022
The Pitch: Brian is a lonely inventor in rural Wales who spends his days building quirky, unconventional contraptions that seldom work. Undeterred by his lack of success, he soon attempts his biggest project yet. Using a washing machine and various spare parts, he invents Charles, an artificial intelligence robot that learns English from a dictionary and has an obsession with cabbages.
Review by Rob Deb. Read more of Rob's reviews here.
There is a thing that happens to men in their 40s. It's not on the stroke of midnight, but if they are left to their own devices, it happens. And it's not so much Jane Austen and ‘Being in want of a wife’ but more I Am Legend and its opening line ‘For he was a man and he was alone and these things made little difference to him.'
It is in this scenic yet isolated Welsh Landscape that we meet Brian. A little lonely, shy and without the usual community services one can expect where men can meet up in sheds, play with tools and talk about their problems. I myself between lockdowns took a variety of children's electronic toys apart in the hopes of making some sort of robot wars that could swear at people using bits of a speak and spell. I burnt my finger. I also argued with my dad a lot about ordering the right cabbage in our weekly shop. Mainly because he would change it after the deadline as an excuse to go outside. Pretty much a weekly ritual we have kept to this day with me going “No YOU NEED TO STAY In!” His reply? “SHUT UP I CAN GO LIDL, THEY HAVE RED.”
It is this Caractacus Potts enthusiasm that sustains Brian with such glee he shines in the bleak notions and builds Charles Forteskew. This is a comedy about relationships and their needs. Charles is affable, articulate, and innocent. But he initially represents a sense of aspiration in this muddy world of cheap bullying families and shy recluses. Charles, like any new life, also grows and yearns for more and more growth and experience. This in turn forces Brian to take part in a larger world he has shied from for far too long The film rests on this chemistry. Charles and Brian have so much love yet soon disagree on so much aside from dancing and cabbage.
The denouement of the local robber barons is relatively tame but stands as a sense of hope within this world as we see the community Brian inhabits as quite parochial and that he is really not that different from the people around him. The audience at the screening I went to frankly loved the film, and even the head of Sundance suggested that it set a high bar, stating it must be excellent. She pointed out that in this world of darkness and harshness, this film shone the message that if you need a friend, reach out and if you find joy, seize it. This film could have been a book for kids.
I'd love to write more, But I have to get back to my dad tonight. I went upstairs for the after-party. Made a few brief nods and drank a free corona before I considered the fact that if I left now… Dad would still be up; he had cooked for me after all. Choice of cabbage he made: Sweetheart. And it's that sort of occurrence this film captures in total.
See it as soon as you can.