In a not-too-distant future, a corporation handles reincarnations. When a young man seems to have memories of his past life, he speaks with an odd doctor and looks for answers on his own.
Written and directed by Adam Sigal, Chariot is a bit of an odd duck of a film with a story that moves kind of slowly, but isn’t boring, while there isn’t really all that much actually happening until closer to the end. The film has plenty going on, but it still somehow feels like not much is actually happening. In a sense, it’s definitely a film that requires patience and the open-mindedness to just let it happen. That being said, it’s easy to accidentally stop following the story and still catch up a bit later which may mean it’s a logically written film or a very simple one. Either way, the story and how it’s brought to the screen is easy to watch and makes for an entertaining enough 90 minutes. It must be noted that in a period where every film seems to be wanting to over 2 hours long, a 90 minutes films comes off like a breeze of fresh air.
Leading the cast here is Thomas Mann as Harrison Hardy, the afflicted soul reincarnated with vague memories. His work here can be described as purposefully lost. He looks and feels lost for the majority of the film, which is rather fitting. Playing his doctor is John Malkovich doing what only John Malkovich can and giving Dr. Karn that hint of crazy that may or may not be in the viewer’s mind. His work here steals all the scenes he is in and the viewer ends up wishing he were in more of them. He’s not the lead, but he’s definitely the star and a major reason to see this film. Also notable is Rosa Salazar as Maria Deschaines. Her work here is interesting and she plays quirky quite well.
Visually, the film has its own style with cinematography by Senda Bonnet. The images are both fitting for the story and almost surreal at times. The simplicity of some of the sequences makes the odder sequences stand out even more. The way Chariot is shot brings to mind a simpler style, one that is not filled with flourishes, but one that allows the story and cast to really shine.
Chariot is an interesting enough film with a story that could have moved just a little bit faster to perhaps allow for more action throughout the film. Overall, it’s entertaining, but at only 90 minutes long, it still feels a bit long at times. However, the story points and general feeling of the film make it one that is fairly easy to watch through. It’s interesting enough, good enough, but not great overall, which is too bad. John Malkovich is THE reason to watch this one is nothing else.