Every few years a new film that perfectly captures the spirit and humour of the British Isles arrives and slowly begins to sweep everyone off of their feet. The next candidate set to enrapture all that seek it out is the joyously entertaining Brian and Charles. Having begun as a short back in 2017, director Jim Archer, along with writers David Earl and Chris Hayward, have now worked Brian and Charles into a full feature. The end result is a disarmingly humour-filled story of one man and his home-made robot. Brian lives alone in a small rural village in North Wales. He’s a bit of an inventor, happily spending his days tinkering away making all sorts of creations. Then one day he realises that he could solve his loneliness problem and build a robot. The fruits of his hard work is Charles Petrescu.
Whilst the feature retains much of the same spirit of the short, there are some noticeable differences. Scaled out to a full length runtime the world inevitably broadens, bringing in other characters from the village, two of which have key roles to play in this story. First, there’s Hazel (Louise Brealey), a similarly lonely neighbour who lives with her chatty parrot and elderly mother. Then there’s Eddie (Jamie Michie) the village bully, from whom Brian must keep Charles hidden. These new additions feel organic to the story and add extra layers of both warmth and anguish that work together to make a richer experience.
What makes Brian and Charles such an engaging film is that amongst the quirky humour is a story full of heart. Writers David Earl and Chris Hayward take on the titular duo, Earl portraying Brian and Hayward stepping inside the suit of Charles. The pair are excellent, their familiarity with the text clearly helping them. The delivery of lines is spot on and if you’ve not got a constant smile on your face or a chuckle bubbling then you’re potentially watching the wrong film. Earl is so deadpan and lovely that you can’t help but root for Brian whose quirky outlook on life is remarkably positive in spite of his solitary living situation. Even when his original design for Charles doesn’t work as he envisaged, he shirks it off saying, “making a robot is like making a cake. You want a victoria sponge, you get a blancmange. But I like blancmange so it’s okay.” Brian’s happy-go-lucky attitude is infectious and once in his abode, any problem in the outside world will melt away for a while. Playing opposite Brian, hidden under layers of make-up, is Christ Hayward and he is just adorable as Charles Petrescu. Both characters go on a journey of change, but it is Charles Petrescu that has the bigger arch as he transitions from newborn to fully grown adult before our eyes. Early scenes, especially the one where he is given his name (the Petrescu part being very important to the curious robot), inflate Brian and Charles with an intense warmth that consumes the whole film.
The dynamic between Brian and Charles in the short felt like pet and owner, Brian getting overwhelmed and sending Charles to live in a field, before missing him and getting him back. Their interactions here have shifted to that of parent and child. Anyone with children will instantly recognise early Charles as a toddler. He’s wide-eyed innocence as he takes in the world around him, relying on Brian for guidance through the world. He even has the occasional toddler tantrum, cue hilarious (and horribly familiar) sequences of Brian trying to get Charles to cooperate. With more time to play with, Charles isn’t confined to just the toddler phase and he quickly grows through the other stages of childhood. His teenage rebel phase is like Kevin the Teenager on steroids and parents will once again sympathise with the single father. It’s during this period that events conspire to wrench the pair apart, the film capturing a parent’s drive to do anything to help their child. Brian and Charles captures parental anxieties and the pressures of responsibilities perfectly; anyone with kids will be simultaneously laughing and wincing. Those with little kids will also get a frightening glimpse into the future, although as teen rebel, Charles is rather tame.
Filmed in a fly on the wall documentary style, there’s an intimacy to Brian and Charles that instantly bonds the viewer to the characters. The camera follows them through their lives without much intrusion, but Brian’s occasional ‘fourth wall breaking’ looks to camera are a reminder of the filming style. His exasperated expressions made directly to the viewer foster more sympathy and empathy, placing the audience in the dual role of friend and co-parent. The camera keeps the viewer exactly where they want to be, with Brian and Charles, any other method of storytelling would have diluted the rapport and that closeness is vital to the enjoyment factor of this bizarre creation.
With a familiar core story of the hazards and joys of parenting, Brian and Charles taps into viewers’ own experiences to create a wonderful take full of heart and humour. A disarmingly humourous tale that tickles the ribs and tugs the heartstrings, the world will soon fall in love with Brian and Charles (Petrescu), and rightly so.
Brian and Charles
Summary
Move over Wall-E, Johnny 5, and Chappie, there’s a new robot on a mission to steal hearts, and his name is Charles Petrescu. A joyous and hilarious quirky comedy full of heart, Brian and Charles is poised to become the next great quirky comedy out of the British Isles.
Brain and Charles was reviewed at Sundance 2022.
