Drama Pick: Charlie Countryman (2013)
This surreal fever dream of a film spices its tale of illicit romance with instances of magical realism to create one of last year’s most visually distinctive releases.
As Charlie Countryman opens, the title character (Shia LaBeouf) loses his mother (Melissa Leo) to a longtime illness. Her spirit, however, is waiting right outside the hospital room, and she has a message for Charlie: go to Bucharest. Feeling lost without her in his life, Charlie agrees. Upon arrival, he quickly falls head over heels for a beautiful cellist named Gabi (Evan Rachel Wood). There’s just one catch – Gabi’s ex, the ruthlessly violent mobster Nigel (Mads Mikkelsen), isn’t willing to let her go.
Director Fredrik Bond (known for his music videos) prioritized style over substance with this film. Slow-motion camerawork and neon lighting abounds, and Moby’s score is hypnotic. As Charlie struggles to protect Gabi, he’s thrust into the nightmarish underworld of Bucharest, complete with sneering gangsters, brutal beatdowns and drug-fueled escapades. That’s not to say that Charlie Countryman is relentlessly dark – there are actually some hilarious moments, mostly courtesy of the two tourists (Rupert Grint and The Inbetweeners‘ James Buckley) Charlie encounters at a hostel. It’s difficult and probably pointless to try to sum up Charlie Countryman, but “dark, trippy fairy tale for adults” is as close as I can come.
In the end, Charlie Countryman is more of a sensory experience than an exercise in narrative storytelling. LaBeouf, Wood and particularly Mikkelsen turn in strong performances, and Matt Drake’s script has its moments, but the visuals completely steal the show. As a film, Charlie Countryman is certainly not entirely successful, but sometimes, with something that strives to be different as noticeably as this, it’s worth applauding the effort anyway.
For more on the film, be sure to check out our exclusive interview with Evan Rachel Wood below: