THE NECESSARY DEATH OF CHARLEY COUNTRYMAN.

US, 2013,
Shia La Boeuf, Evan Rachel Wood, Mads Mikkelson, Til Schweiger, Rupert Grint, Melissa Leo. Narrated by John Hurt.
Directed by Fredrik Bond.

For Shia La Boeuf fans, this is no Transformers movie. Rather, it is an arthouse portrait of an aimless young man who gets caught up in a fantasy world on the occasion of the death of his mother (Melissa Leo) who urges him to venture out to Bucharest to see what happens to him. Bucharest? Everybody presumes she meant Budapest, but off her goes to Romania in a story that will not do Romanian tourism much good. So, this is Bucharest!

Actually, the film starts at the end with a bloodied Charley Countreyman hanging upside down, bloodied, and about to be shot by the newly discovered love of his life, Gabi (Even Rachel Wood) at the behest of her loathsome criminal husband, Nigel (Mads Mikkelson) and his also loathsome club owner friend (Til Schweiger). John Hurt begins to intone a narrative, ‘Ladies and Gentlemen…’ and continues with his distinctive voice, higher vocabulary and existential reflections, especially about death and love.

We are not into any ordinary film here, though when you take away the fantasy elements, the plot is rather familiar. Young man encounters a friendly passenger on the plane who dies and asks the young man to give a gift to his daughter. It has to be said the Romanian airport authorities and the police have not been trained in sympathy, let alone empathy. Charley finds the girl, becomes infatuated, finds she plays cello in an orchestra, that Nigel is her no-good husband. In the meantime, he goes to a fairly squalid hostel where he meets some naively stupid young Brits (including post Harry Potter, Rupert Grint) who take him to a club where he gets into more trouble. In fact, it is trouble, trouble, trouble – and some beatings, and some double messages from Gabi, until we are back to the beginning and John Hurt is telling us, ladies and gentlemen, about death and love’s capacity for reviving us. (And, as she appears to Charley and commends him on his adventure and his coming alive, she admits she meant Budapest, always gets them mixed up.)

That is the tone of the film. Nigel, towards the end, reminds Charley that he is in Limbo. Not theologically ept, he probably meant Purgatory.

If this all sounds interesting, it may be worth an existential try. If not, Bucharest is not the place for you.

1. Impact of the film? Interest? Enjoyment? Odd? Fantasy? A contemporary adventure for a young man? The target audience?

2. The cast? John Hurt’s narrative? Setting a tone? The narration: ladies and gentlemen, death and love, deadly situations? The ending?

3. The musical score, the range of songs, at the clubs? Classical music and opera?

4. The opening, Charlie and his hanging, Nigel and his threats, taunting Gabi? Giving her the gun? Shooting? Charlie falling into the water? John Hurt and the narration that this was the beginning?

5. Charlie and waking? Bill and the news about his mother? Going to the hospital, watching his mother die? The special effects for the spirit leaving his mother? His puzzle, his grief? Waiting outside? His mother appearing to him, the conversation, about her qualities as a mother? The flashback to his childhood? His mother bequeathing him a mission: to go to Bucharest?

6. Charlie, his decision, his life activities, idle, his age? On the plane? Victor and his sleeping, talking to Charlie, his visit to Chicago for the Cubs, and the later discovery of the video? The gift for his daughter, his dying, coming back from death, telling Charlie he had met his mother, his wife? His exhortation to Charlie?

7. Charlie, upset, the flight attendant, plying him with drinks? Getting off the plane, the corpse, the gift of the hat, chasing it, the reactions of the police, harsh, interrogations, his getting out?

8. Giving the gift to Gabi, talking with her, her grief, her character, Victor as her teacher, her gratitude towards him? Charley’s taking the taxi, and the taxi turning up later? The film talk? His seeing Gabi, her car, driving, the pursuit of the ambulance, the medics and their being high, the crash, getting the corpse to the hospital?

9. The opera, Charlie and waiting, seeing Bela, the phone calls, Bela and his later help? His warnings? The opera, performance, Charlie asleep, waking, Nigel and Gabi’s gun?

10. The adventures in Charlie desperately seeking Gaby? The bond with her? His love? Her love? Her devotion to Nigel to as her husband? His menace? Attacking Charlie, beating him, interrogating him?

11. Charlie going to the hostel, the two young Englishman, drugs, one wanting to be a porn star, effect of Viagra, lacing Charlie’s drink, going to the club, spending big, the women, the owner and his behavior, the bill, the bashing?

12. Going to Gabi’s house, finding the video, seeing the violence? The involvement of Nigel and the club owner?

13. The continued pursuit of Charlie, by Nigel, by the club owner, trapping Charlie? The two young men stuck with superglue?

14. The build-up to the final pursuit? His mother appearing to Charlie, her mistake about Budapest? Congratulating him on what he had achieved?

15. The finale, Charlie hanging, the shooting, his fall into the river? Seeming to drown?

16. The police, shooting Nigel? The narration and the theme that love revives?

17. The happy ending, the final voiceover? The spirits rising? Charlie’s adventure, changing, his future?

18. The title in retrospect?