“The Life of Chuck,” a feel-good apocalyptic story starring Tom Hiddleston and directed by Mike Flanagan, took home the Toronto International Film Festival’s people’s choice award.
This prize has historically been a reliable predictors of eventual Oscar success. In past years, winners such as “Green Book” and “Nomadland” went on to capture the best picture prize at the Academy Awards. Last year’s honor went to Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction” while 2022’s award was bestowed to Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans,” both of which were best picture nominees and major forces during awards season.
It’s unclear if that’ll be the case this year, though “The Life of Chuck” has received largely positive reviews. Variety’s Siddhant Adlakha praised the film’s “wild tonal shifts between horror and naked sentimentality that work with surprising precision, to a litany of fun supporting characters played by Flanagan regulars, and a general rejection of cynicism even in the face of despondency.”
“The Life of Chuck” is adapted from Stephen King’s 2020 novella of the same name and billed as a “life-affirming” story about an ordinary man named Charles Krantz. The film is split into three distinct chapters that unfurl in reverse chronological order and set against the backdrop of a world that appears to be slowly crumbling. Mark Hamill, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, and Jacob Tremblay co-star in “The Life of Chuck,” which has been compared to King adaptations like “Shawshank Redemption” and “Stand By Me” rather than “It” or “Pet Sematary.” The film is still seeking distribution.
At this year’s festival, the first runner-up for the audience award was Jacques Audiard’s musical crime melodrama “Emilia Perez,” starring Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón and Selena Gomez, while the second runner up was Sean Baker’s “Anora.”
The audience prize for the festival’s Midnight Madness series went to Demi Moore’s body horror thriller “The Substance” and the documentary award went to “The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal.” All films in TIFF’s official selection are eligible for the people’s choice award, which is voted on by the viewing public.
