BRIAN AND CHARLES: Charming Robo-bromance Has No Faulty Parts

There is something about robots, something that has held fascination throughout the years in literature, film, and TV and has resulted in a concoction of works that showcase the beauty and the beast that can be conceived from humankind’s inquisitiveness. They have the ability to embody both childlike wonder and the tantalising prospect of innovation but also the terror of destruction when they evolve beyond their intended purpose. For every Wall-E that wants to make the world better, there is a Terminator who wants to tear it all down.

The idea of incorporating a robot into the home that serves just as much as a companion than as aid is something that has gathered traction, particularly in our increasingly isolating world, and taps into one of our most basic but damaging emotions. They are beginning to be seen as an answer to fill the void of those that are alone or who have lost someone, and this idea has already been explored in popular culture.

In 2012’s Robot and Frank, a robot butler is programmed to look after an elderly man who has onset dementia (though their relationship turns to more nefarious deeds). More recently 2021 animation film Ron’s Gone Wrong explored the friendship between a socially awkward middle school boy who receives a digital device designed to be his best friend.

And now arriving onto our screens, after being developed from his own 2017 short, is Jim Archer’s Brian and Charles which tells the story of how one man’s solitude leads to creating his own nuts and bolts buddy.

Idle hands are the inventor’s playthings

The film’s opening thrusts us straight into the world of Brian (David Earl), a lone inventor who lives in a cottage in rural Wales. We see him discussing his unique creations such as his pinecone bag and his egg belt (which is exactly as it sounds) that he squirrels away at in his shed. For reasons unknown there is a camera crew filming Brian, which he himself and, in turn the film, acknowledges with Brian commenting about his inventive activities ‘Is this interesting?’ But this serves as a device for Brian to talk to the camera and to us as the audience during the film’s setup and early scenes (though this dissipates as the story develops).

The sense of Brian’s isolation and loneliness peppers the screen, in the way his sentences trail off and then how he tries to make light of his situation with a hopeful smile and his ‘try again’ attitude to his failed gadgets. Subtle images also highlight his seclusion, from a dartboard that shows him only ever playing against himself (Brian v Brian) to a washing line holding a solo pair of pajamas. He has minimal interactions with people in his small village, finds it hard to make small talk with local girl Hazel (a sweet Louise Brealey), and cowers at the resident hardman bully Eddie (Jamie Michie). Then one day as he is foraging for materials in a scrap heap, he comes across a mannequin head that sets in motion a plan to make his own robot with the intention that it could help him around the house but with the real motive to provide company for Brian. After a few failed attempts, one night during a thunderstorm, which carries shades of Frankenstein’s monster being born, his robot comes alive, our first glimpse is like seeing a cornered animal caught in the night with cabbage in hand and partly in his mouth. Brian manages to get his robotic creation calmed and, down in his cottage, and this forms the start of their journey together.

Our Friends eccentric

After their first encounter during the night, Brian awakes the next morning to find his newly formed robot has learned the dictionary and can converse with him. After a couple of abandoned names, Brian’s invention is named Charles (Chris Hayward) and thus begins their friendship, which is established in a montage as we see them engage in walks, pillow fights, a game of darts, and an image of the washing line now complete with two pairs of pajamas.

Charles’s appearance and demeanour feel quintessentially British in their eccentricity, dressed like a university professor (albeit one with a tummy made of a washing machine) he is the antithesis of what we associate with modern, slick robotic design. He is a large, cumbersome construction who has to stoop just to fit in Brian’s cottage and feels like he would create more hindrance than a help. The film’s offbeat humour and big laughs come from Charles’ view of the world and the endlessly quotable delivery of his words, he feels like a cult creation whose catchphrases will be adopted from repeat viewings.

Frayed wires

Charles’ evolution runs the gambit as he learns more of the world and he goes from childlike innocence to stroppy teenager, complete with loud music phase, to a being that wants more from life than the confines of Brian’s cottage can offer. He dreams of seeing the world but does not understand the consequences of what could unfold if he is out in the open. Brian meanwhile struggles to contain Charles’ burgeoning zest for more to life and is caught between his own reasons for wanting him to stay and his awareness of how the local bad family lead by bully Eddie will react if they spot him. His fears come to fruition and things become, in Charles’s words ‘’so very perilous’’ and Brian must decide if he is going to stand up for himself and to grab his own piece of happiness.

For all its quirks and oddities Brian and Charles weave into its charming tale what it is to be human and the dilemmas that come from those that we hold most dear and close to our lives. How long can we hold them back from living the life that they crave, despite knowing that there is the possibility of harm from what lies beyond our sheltered borders. Should our own needs and wishes sway and stifle and when can we accept to let go?  The film also shows the power of friendship and how this can transform and open your life to further possibilities with Charles giving Brian the courage to pursue a connection with Hazel and find something else beyond his closed-off existence.

The two-hander performances between David Earl and Charles Hayward (as Charles) are pitched perfectly, their cohabitation providing amusing, memorable moments but also a touching double act. Earl, most recently seen in Ricky Gervais series After Life, plays the perfect balance of optimistic sad sack who wants to succeed, he has to walk the tightrope of almost selfish motives but caring robot parent at the same time. Meanwhile, Charles feels like an immediate entry into the pantheon of iconic onscreen robots, in spite of and because of his peculiar lo-fi look and his winning vocal quips- if you are able to leave the cinema without hearing Charles in your head repeating ‘’Front, Front, Front’’ then you are a stronger person than I.

Conclusion:

Brian and Charles feel like such a British invention that it will be interesting to see how its humour translates to other shores; however, its themes and its heart are universal and large. It will speak to many of us who have lived through a time of seclusion and isolation and who will be able to relate to a character like Brian who has endured some harsh winters alone.

The rural setting of a small village in Wales may also at first seem alien to some but will resonate with anyone who has lived in a place that offers such natural beauty and quaint comfort but at the same time presents limits and a geographical, opaque seal to the rest of the world.

I hope that Brian and Charles does find an audience, that people open their hearts to an eccentric buddy comedy that is wrapped in unique British parts. Small films such as this struggle to make it to the screen in the first place and their time is determined by a small window of box office stretch, especially next to the blockbuster giants.  But this film deserves its time in the sun too, to find its own place and to have its own adventure, just like our unlikely hero Charles craves.

Do you enjoy films with a distinct oddball charm? Will you give Brian and Charles a go?

Brian and Charles was released in the US on 17th June 2022. The UK release date is 8th July 2022

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