Brian and Charles

In this dry season, I looked to some dry UK humor to accompany my dry martini. In director Jim Archer's brilliant Brian and Charles, wit and heart are the essential ingredients as small-town Welch citizen Brian (David Earl) is all beard and glasses inventing useless objects like an egg-carrying belt and a flying cuckoo clock, which he launches from a bicycle with disastrous results.

Brian's my kind of eccentric, a quirky introvert lucky to find a lady, Hazel (Louise Brealey), an equally introverted heart who loves Brian for the reasons others find him weird.

With nothing better to do, he creates robot Charles, seven feet of rubber head and box chest and the sarcastic inquisitiveness of a teen waiting for the chance to escape and see the world. Being led around town virtually on a leash, Charles is ready to bolt while retaining a loving attitude toward his maker.

It's a bit of Frankenstein mixed with Iron Giant, peppered with R2-D2 love and C-3PO attitude. The glasses give him a smart impression and the blue eye a sinister suggestion. But he, too, is all heart. As in any summer comedy worth anything, conflict finds its place in the town bully, Eddie (Jamie Michie), attacking meek Brian and his creation.

What happens is not so much a surprise as it is a satisfying resolution fitting a sleepy town enfolded in white clouds, grey days, and simplicity. Murren Tullett's crisp cinematography will convince you to book a flight to Wales, and Daniel Pemberto's energetic electronic score will make you forget Danny Elfman's musical genius but remind you of Pemberto's Spider-Verse compositions.

Daniel and Charles has a soothing, loving humanity to take you out of Top Gun, Jurassic World, and Thor and give you a walking stick to explore little UK towns that contain lo-fi conflict enough for multiverses. One of the best movies of the year and arguably the best so far this summer.

In quirky Brit dramedy "Brian And Charles" oddball 'inventor' David Earl (of Brit tv fame) is lonely living outside a beautiful, rural, but somewhat rough Welsh village - so he builds a full-on AI robot (voiced by co-witer (with Earl) Chris Hayward) out of a washing machine, rubber gloves, a mannequin's head, etc (as you do). As the robot's intellect & character grows & evolves (like an accelerated child's) so does his relationship with Earl as he learns of love (via Louise Brealey), perilousness (via local bullies Jamie Michie, Nina Sosanya & kids) & dreams. It's an undeniably strange little movie that certainly won't appeal to all - but those who 'get' it's weirdness will love it.

I was trying to kill some time and take a little break from a boring conference I was attending. There was multiplex cinema next door to conference center and the film "Brian and Charles" was playing there. I had no idea what the film was about but decided to go on impulse. Wow, I couldn't be more delighted with what I experienced. It is a charming film about a relationship between a man and a robot he invented. It is funny and heartwarming with wonderful performances and beautiful cinematography depicting the rugged land and stark beauty of Wales.

The humor in the film is subtle and refreshingly clever. The main characters are well developed and believable. In short if you need a little pick me up and a feel good experience I cannot recommend this little film enough.

If you like "Lars and the Real Girl" you'll love Brian and Charles.

Brian and Charles is a mockumentary about socially awkward hoarder and oddball inventory named Brian who builds a companion robot from a pile of junk.

He names his robot Charles who soon takes on a life of its own becoming more adventurous than his safe creator Brian.

Charles informs himself by reading the dictionary and becomes quite curious about the outside world -- the world beyond the borders of Brian's isolated Welsh quarters.

Charles craves adventure, unlike Brian who wants to live a boring and obscure life -- free from heartbreak and danger.

Brian's an endearing creature who collects junk which he uses to alter household appliances that he claims as new innovations -- totally oblivious that these contraptions are made worse.

This is a metaphor for how Brian sees himself and how he presents himself to this phantom documentary crew that's documenting his mundane life. Brian's a disheveled hermit, obtuse and discard, like a pile of junk that nobody wants. That's how Brian sees himself.

So he builds a better Brian from that pile of junk. A robot who's willing to experience life.

This is a heartwarming story about fear, loneliness and the importance of human connection.

I highly recommend this film.

Brian is alone and isolated, to overcome his loneliness, he builds a new robot, named Charles, like cake making he wanted a Victoria sponge, but instead got a blancmange.

I'll be honest, I watched the first five minutes, and I wasn't convinced, ready to switch it off, however, I decided to stick with it, and I'm so glad I did, I really am, and only wish I'd saved it.

Don't expect to learn much about why Brian has ended up in this situation, they don't actually go into it, all we get is what's on the surface, he's definitely a troubled Soul, the focus is more on his newly found sense of companionship, his unquestionable positivity.

It's funny, it's sad, it's quirky, it's like nothing else I've ever seen before. No special effects, no heavy music, it's low budget, but there in lies the charm, it is rewardingly heart warming, it works on so many levels.

I associate David Earl with two shows, two favourites of mine, Afterlife and Derek, you see just what a talented actor he is here, it's such a different, well measured performance, credit to him.

Just lovely.

8/10.