Gamelkateinthecinema | The Necessary
Death of Charlie Countryman
Director: Fredrik Bond
Release: 2013
Writers: Story by Matt Drake
Genre: Action/Romance/Travel
Rating: R-16
I am frequently asked the question “what’s you’re
favourite movie?” and most of the time I find it hard to answer, for the perhaps
cliché reason that I like so many different styles of film. However this film
in particular continues to pop up in my mind because it made such an impact on
me personally. The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman gave me a feeling of
elation as well as fuelling my wanderlust and interest in travelling, at a time
when I had just broken up with my first long-term boyfriend and had moved back
in with my parents. I watched this film alone on the sofa with a bottle of wine
one night in 2014 and was totally captivated throughout.
.
Without giving too much away, the story starts with Charlie, an American teenager (Shia LaBeouf) dealing with the loss of his mother. He
decides to go on a trip to Europe after a beautiful scene where she comes to him
in a vision. Although we know nothing about Charlie’s characters, he appears to
be all good intentions and innocent inexperience. Arriving in the beautifully
dilapidated and gritty streets of Bucharest, he is instantly
plunged into the complexities of a foreign culture. No plans and not much money
see him staying in a hostel, where he befriends the increasingly manic pill-popping Karl (Rupert Grint). When he meets Gabi (Evan Rachael Wood) and falls instantly and whole-heartedly in love, things start to get dangerous as
her violent ex Nigel (Mads Mikkelsen) arrives on the scene.
.
Although this might sound like the predictable plot
of some car-chase teen drama, Director Matt Drake works the fabric of the city
into the story and presents an emotional, raw, and surprisingly funny narrative.
There are some beautiful shots of everyday life in Bucharest, as well as music
halls and private homes that make you feel at once like a tourist in the city
and a child peeking from behind a curtain. My interest in Romania and other
Eastern European countries was impassioned from seeing this movie, and I think
this film and others like it have done a lot in not only promoting these places
to the world, but for bringing the everyday people who live there into a more
contemporary and relatable ‘global’ light. It is a pity that a Romanian was not cast to play Gabi, nevertheless Wood delivers a powerful performance which nicely balances LeBeouf.
There are some unbelievable fantasy elements, where a
suspended belief in reality is required. However as they
are the workings of Charlie's brain, rather than his environment, these enrich the storyline rather than detract from it. Shia always comes with a strong flavour, and this film is no exception. LaBeouf fans will love Charlie Countryman - he is in almost every single frame - but don't dismiss this one even if you're not totally sold on him. Although he plays the typical American abroad (acting with irritating and reckless abandon) he paints a picture of a boy dealing with loss, and it's hard not to feel empathetic.
.
The overarching theme for me (now sobbing on the
couch) was that what you put into your life is ultimately what you will get out
of it. You are the only one propelling yourself forward, and when there is no
one else there for you, you discover you are able to make decisions for
yourself. However we might try to rationalise mistake or failure by blaming
others, all the choices we make open new life trajectories to different
versions of ourselves. I wont go as far as saying that everything happens for a
reason, because I don’t think that is true, but in a clumsy way I am trying to
say that life is better when you go out and start living it. Thank you Charlie
for teaching me that lesson at a time when I was prepared to listen.
Rating: 9/10 - because I laugh and cry every time I watch it
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