Chariot, 2022.
Written and Directed by Adam Sigal.
Starring Thomas Mann, Rosa Salazar, Scout Taylor-Compton, Shane West, John Malkovich, Vernon Davis, and Chris Mullinax.
SYNOPSIS:
A story about a corporation and a doctor (John Malkovich) that oversees the process of reincarnation, and a young man (Thomas Mann) who becomes a glitch in the system when he encounters a woman (Rosa Salazar) he loved in a previous life.
During the climax of Chariot, I pressed pause to solve a character’s riddle because it was more interesting than the movie itself. That should tell you everything you need to know. I’m also reasonably confident that if I typed out the entire riddle and gave you dear readers something to stimulate your minds, it would be a greater use of your time than reading anything else about Chariot. Alas, I have to do my job.
A large part of the problem is that the advertised synopsis gives away a majority of the story. There’s also nothing necessarily wrong with playing your cards that early, but writer and director Adam Sigal (this is his second narrative feature) is unable to stage it with any purpose or philosophical intrigue, or emotional resonance whatsoever. Even if you’re like me and forget what the movie is about going into it, there are specific chapter titles that double as an explanation of what’s happening in the film (presumably for anyone that doesn’t want to use their brain, not that the movie is all that challenging to comprehend anyway).
It would feel redundant even to discuss what Chariot is about, but it should be noted that the small ensemble is desperately trying to inject some weird, characteristic energy into the proceedings that do sometimes work. Unsure why he has experienced the same mundane childhood dream roughly 5000 times, Thomas Mann’s Harrison Hardy checks himself into a seemingly ordinary hotel while in the city seeking out treatment from specialist Dr. Kairn (John Malkovich in a ginger wig resembling a clown, which is appropriate for the performance he is giving).
It turns out the hotel is filled with weirdos battling various conditions, whether it be a woman with disassociative identity disorder (Scout Taylor-Compton) or a woman standing on the rooftop wearing a ceremonial party mask. There is also a nature reserve caretaker (Vernon Davis) bearing a mountain of pressure in his personal life, finding the strength to set it aside so he can focus on encouraging a pair of on the verge of extinction turtles to reproduce, a mission that he deems the most important thing in his life.
Such strangeness does work in favor of Chariot, providing an idiosyncratic curiosity. As Harrison crosses paths with the lively Maria (a delightfully bizarre Rosa Salazar in a role that makes terrific use of her wide-eyed expressions), a relatively average individual seems eager to learn all the oddball details regarding the hotel’s many inhabitants. It’s clear from the get-go that they share a connection that plays into the themes of reincarnation, although the narrative never actually does anything compelling with it. The closest thing to a purpose is Maria helping Harrison feel less insecure about his unorthodox streaming habit, but the film never takes that farther into a message about embracing what makes us different. Again, the story goes through the motions of its brief synopsis without a trace of magic or suspense or entertainment value beyond observing weird personalities.
It’s also a stark contrast to the opening sequence set in the mid-nineteenth century, following a rancher chopping wood, coughing up blood, seemingly resigned to his near-death fate. Not only are these short scenes shot with more considerable craft, but there is also an eeriness to them that is sorely missing from the present-day scenario. Anyway, off in the distance is a tower intended for reincarnation. Chariot itself needs to go into that reincarnation tower so that maybe in about 12 future generations, it will pop back out as a more fleshed-out story with actual stakes and drama.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
