Written & Directed By: Bragi F. Schut
Grade: A-
Charlie Thistle was part of the Doorpost Film Project where 7 topics are given to filmmakers for them to make a short film to represent that topic. Bragi F. Schut was given the topic of hope, which fits his short, Charlie Thistle perfectly. It captures the hope of something more; the chance to bring upon change even if it through one thing at a time.
Charlie Thistle works in the department of normality. His job is to only accept what is normal and is already a part of his world. Anything that is at all different he is supposed to deny. It is an unspoken rule to keep any change, no matter how small, from happening. Charlie is a loyal and trusted employee. He has been working for the department of normality for quite some time. He has risen from position to position, but his job is pretty mundane. When he gets a promotion he only moves from one desk to the other in the same room. Charlie does the same thing everyday. He’s in bed by 9:30 and never does anything because he wants to, only because it’s routine. One night Charlie begins thinking that there must be something more; that there must be something to make it all worth it. Charlie’s wife, Ezzie (Stevens), doesn’t quite know what he is talking about, but tells him that if this is how he really feels then he should do something about it since he has been promoted to the secretary of adjustments and modifications.
The next day Charlie takes out the Yes stamp that has been closed away in a drawer. He stamps yes on every proposal. Soon he sees that the approvals he has made are immediately changing the world. Everything in his world has always been black and white, but he begins seeing blue hats, red ties, and green walls among the blacks and whites. Windows can now be moved by effortlessly pushing them. Rather than going to bed at 9:30 he makes love to his wife and their romance seems to be given a new life. While some embrace these new things, Charlie’s department fears them. He is enjoying life much more, but his job might not be so secure. Without him, these new experiences might be brought to a sudden halt.
The production quality in Charlie Thistle is very high. The imagery is simple, but bold. The film does a lot with the black and white tones; to bring out how boring and dreary normalcy is. When colors are brought in little by little, the contrast between vibrant reds, bright sensual blues, and the colorless black and whites are very strong. For the vast majority of the film we are given this exploration with color. After this is introduced it could have switched to completely these bright colors, which would have been a beautiful image as well. Still using these simultaneously and keeping this constant brings out that there is still an entrapment in the mundane with that spark for hope of change.
Charlie Thistle has a lot of charm and is a 15 minute gem. This black and white utopian normalcy reminded me a lot of the novel, The Giver. It is also very reminiscent of Pleasantville. It’s a dramatic film of exploration, but it has some great moments of comedy as well. Charlie allows previously non-existent words to replace other words adding this goofiness to a dramatic moment that could end all of this change. It’s silly within a serious context and tone. What’s great about Charlie Thistle is it’s a beautiful film with keeping things simple. It doesn’t overcomplicate things are exaggerate. It shows us that subtle changes one at a time can make an impact, it just takes someone or something to go against the grain.
Thanks so much for the nice review, Kelsey! I'm glad you enjoyed the film. Everyone worked very hard on it, so it's wonderful to see it finding an audience. All the best, Bragi Schut