BRIAN AND CHARLES is a gentle and deeply silly movie that is surprisingly touching when it's all said and done. Coming in at a brisk 79 minutes, the movie-makers knew they had a slight story to tell, and haven't padded it. Tell your quirky story and get out. Yet, in this brief time, it says some pretty touching things about the need for friendship and connection, the impact of finding it, and also, strangely, reminds us that being a home-body who doesn't want to leave the local valley or a wanderer who wants to see the world are both valid and fulfilling choices, if freely chosen.
Brian is a middle aged Welshman living in a gorgeous but harsh area of Wales. Rolling hills, sheep herds, quaint villages and a stunning river. But Brian lives alone is his ramshackle home and adjacent workshop. Unkempt and shy, Brian occupies his time mostly with his nusto inventions that never work. For example, he crafts a flying machine made with a bicycle that has a grandfather clock strapped to it so that he can fly over his village and shout out the time to anyone who needs it. It's a failure, of course. But his construction of it shows us how eccentric he is and how much he wants to be of use to his fellow man; the fellow man he struggles to connect with. Other constructs of his are equally unsuccessful, and of dubious need.
One day, finds the head of a mannequin, and decides to build himself a robot. And stunningly (and without any explanation whatsoever), the robot works. This is Charles (or as Charles dubs himself "Charles Petrescu", surely the most random name a Welsh robot has ever given himself). A friendship of sorts forms between the two, but it's a bond that grows and evolves in gently surprising ways. And Charles is just the "social lubricant" that Brian needs to engage more in the world around him.
Minor dramas ensue, and poor Charles has some unfortunate adventures...but none of it is too taxing. This is not a film to get your heart rate up to much. But it never takes an easy path in telling its story. Charles can be extremely funny at times, but also a frustrating pain in the neck at others. And Brian can be a great "father figure" at times, and a churlish brat at others. It all has the air of a forgotten folk tale, yet there's real heart here.
Although devoid of belly laughs (and not trying for any), I found myself smiling throughout almost all the film, chuckling aloud a few times, and as I said, being surprisingly touched by the conclusion of this film.
And I must say that the "design" of Charles is remarkable. A mannequin head with hair attached, with a torso made of an old washing machine and wobbly but almost human looking legs, all wrapped in comfortable sweaters and brown tones. He's a sight-gag that never stops being amusing. Yet coupled with the outstanding voice performance of Chris Hayward, Charles Petrescu is a robot for the ages.
BRIAN AND CHARLES is destined to be a minor cult movie at best, and probably, realistically, it will mostly be forgotten. That is a shame. This is a tiny, independent robot movie with heart that punches above its weight, and deserves a broader audience.
