A24 Film no. 1: A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III (2012)

 

                          

Not the best beginning for this challenge, to be honest. I was aware of this movie's reputation and that it wasn't the best, so I didn't set my expectations too high. They were right.

    The movie tells us the story of Charles Swan III, a very Charlie Sheen-esque character who just had his heart "broken" by his girlfriend Ivanna. With a weird structure, including oniric episodes and some musical scenes, it is hard to engage with what we are seeing. Mostly because everyone in the movie is so unlikeable, but also because nothing seems honest (Charles is a soulless character, and it is hard to believe he actually is going through a heartbreak or had any feelings for anyone during the movie; not even the parrot mascot that dies at some point). Also, I personally never really cared about anyone or anything. Everything has only one inch of in-depth (and not an inch that could be interesting to explore). The main character is supposed to be spiraling, confused, and reflecting on his life and actions, but we never actually see him doing that. 

    There are, in fact, some elements that remind me of things I've seen in other A24 movies. There is an attempt to enter Charles' mind and explore all the dimensions that could help us explain who he is and why he acts the way he does (the title is just a summary of the idea they try to explore, and I would have hoped they would have gone further with it). The oniric aspect is important in other A24 movies, and here they are beginning to explore it, but it seems like a joke they thought would be funny and never got the chance to finish. At times, it tries to be a Wes Anderson Movie, with quirky aesthetics that aim to portray Charles' weird and creative spirit, but it just feels like a bad imitation.

    There may also be something in the fact of watching this movie in 2025, where a Charlie Sheen-like character is not attractive at all; we have seen better things exploring the themes the movie is supposedly trying to explore, and in all fairness, this is a character and story that would not survive the so-called canceled culture (not that I want him to). 

    What a weird first A24 movie. I do think there was an attempt to explore "original" ideas (or they believed Coppola was doing that?), but those ideas never left the writer's room. A24 is lucky it is a forgettable movie, and that people don't know about it. 

Dir. Roman Coppola

Charlie Sheen, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Patricia Arquette, and Aubrey Plaza