The mystical thriller Chariot” directed by Adam Segal is full of puzzles and creepy secrets. Adam Segal acted as both the director and the screenwriter of the film. Filming for Chariot began in the winter of 2021. They were fought in Little Rock, Arkansas. In the film, the popular actor John Malkovich is involved in the role of one of the main characters.
What is Chariot about?
The entire audience is divided into those who prefer to watch tricks, and those who like to be shown revelations of the secrets of black magic. It’s probably not worth watching a movie called “Chariot” for people like that. But for moviegoers, who will be quite satisfied with the contemplation of sophisticated magic tricks in the circus arena, this spectacle will certainly bring some pleasure. It is noteworthy that the original name of the film is “Chariot”. In Tarot cards, the chariot is the symbol of reincarnation.
The young character Harrison Hardy suffers from a sleep disorder. For all the nights of his short life, he sees the same dream for the five thousandth time. The story is very trivial, but there is a mysterious nuance in it: a red rope hangs from the attic. Harrison decides to turn to the eminent sleep doctor Karn (played by John Malkovich).
Then the guy decides to settle in a mysterious mansion, where on every corner he encounters mysterious inhabitants: a levitating man, a strange girl singing strange songs in an unfamiliar language. Harrison finds himself at a party where he has to interact with marvelous creatures: two-headed monsters, androgynous androgynous.
Then the guy rents a house in a modest house. But the house turns out to be difficult – a muddy people lives there. Among the tenants, he is met by a pretty girl Maria, whose apartment resembles housing for an individual. He enters the hall. There, on the floor, is a book that, according to Maria, is the possession of a powerful sorcerer. Maria reveals a secret to Harrison: if you read even a line from this book, instant death will follow. Maria could have added, but it’s better to take her word for it and not even try.
Among other characters, Madame Lauren, who suffers from bipolar personality disorder, lives in the house. According to Lauren, a rude man Oliver moved into her body. Sometimes he completely controls her body and behaves like an inveterate villain. The pleasant lady contrasts markedly with the unpleasant sir. And there is also such a feature: if you offend Lauren, then inadvertently you can catch Oliver. But in the case when Oliver is sleeping, his presence may not be felt.
There is also another girl living in the house, who sings very beautifully. Her face is always covered with a mask. Harrison, who heard the enchanting singing, is immediately interested in the mysterious masked stranger, but she suddenly hides. And later, Maria tells him that the girl in the mask not only sings beautifully, but also looks great. She’s so good that everyone just loses their heads. As a result, the mysterious singer does not show her face. She herself does not want to drive someone crazy and does not take off her mask so as not to destroy the created mystery.
As for the main character, he is pathetic and of little interest. But, since he is the main character, his slender image often flashes in the narrative. In the course of the story, Harrison periodically consults with the doctor, and between sessions builds a relationship with Maria. And against this background, the dream that Harrison sees begins to transform and repeat itself.
The meaning of the movie “Chariot”
The director does not let everything take its course. He helps inquisitive viewers. He provides them with transparent hints that help unravel the plot even for the most conservative viewers.
In the corridors of the strange house there are reproductions from the paintings of Francisco Goya. On one floor is the Witches Sabbath, on the other, Saturn Devouring His Son. As a musical accompaniment in the film, Calaf’s aria from Giacomo Puccini’s opera “Turandot” sounds.
It is not clear, however, the full meaning. Where is the specific system failure? And why did the great Malkovich show his crooked grin in such an ambiguous project? Probably, the audience will still have to fully unravel the plot knots.
Explanation of the ending of the film “Chariot”
As a result, everything ends with the fact that the doctor begins to guess about something and offers to start therapy directly, but for some reason Maria disappears. She then tries to call and beg for help in a modified voice, but she is not shown in the film again.
It turns out that Harrison retains the memory of a past life and cannot forget it. The Doctor tries to figure out why this memory is so persistent. The main character continues to live, unaware of the changed conditions and trying to understand his new environment.
Is the empty room a reflection of this person from a past reincarnation? Is the woman’s beautifully furnished apartment a reflection of Harrison’s former existence?
The doctor’s solution to this character’s problem is to burn the memories. It retains the character’s connection with his former life incarnation, but the cycle is transformed into a different form.
And in the end, the director demonstrates to the audience that Harrison’s meticulous dream is associated with a failure in reincarnation. One of the personalities was able to accidentally get into his past, but there was no place for her there. And the doctor, in fact, turns out to be exactly the specialist who solves similar problems. It is curious that the film is formed from several components, in half of which they show strange characters, it is not clear from which side they are attached to the plot.
