The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman starts with pictures of a tortured man dangling from a rope over a dam, and falling. Then we see Charlie being scared out of the tub by his father after a long spell underwater. They go to the hospital where they have to let Charlie's mother die. (switch her off the machine)
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This happens, and Charlie leaves the room, for he cannot take it. Outside, on the corridor he sees his mother and chats with her. She tells him, he should go to Bucharest, just because. After this experience, he goes to take leave of his ex, who asks him if it wasn't Budapest he meant.
Charlie then boards the plane, where he meets a romanian guy, who he talks to, and bonds with. Victor, the romanian guy shows Charlie a funny hat, he bought for his daughter. Then he dies. After his death, he tells Charlie to give the funny hat to his daughter. He tries, and ends up tased by the police. Eventually the daughter shows up, and they exchange a few awkward lines about Victor's drool on Charlie's T-shirt, and the romanian sentence Charlie had to convey to her.
Then Charlie catches a taxi, and after travelling a bit, he notices Gabriella (Victor's daughter) on the side of the road, crying. He stops the taxi, talks to Gabi and learns that she wanted to follow the ambulance carrying her dad's body, but the drivers are lunatics, and she lost them. Charlie offers to help, and pays for his taxi fare. They drive around a bit, and in some way an accident happens, so the ambulance turns upside down and the body falls out onto the pavement.
Then the next ambulance takes Gabi and the body away.
Charlie is left on the side of the road, with the car, Gabi's chello and her bag. Luckily while they were driving, Gabi told him, that she works in the opera, so he goes there.
In the opera, he meets Bela, the conductor. He gives Charlie a seat in the ringside, where he falls asleep, and wakes up to an actual play. Then he goes backstage to meet with Gabi, and sees her with another man, called Nigel.
Nigel is a criminal, who threatens Gabi, who turns out to be his wife. He also intimidates Charlie, who is then sent to the Marco Polo youth hostel down the street.
In there he meets two guys, Karl and Luc, who take a lot of drugs, prescription and other types, recreationally. They go out for the night and lace their beers with extasy.
Charlie goes to the bathroom, where Nigel appers to him, threatening him. Then he goes to get some fresh air, and sees Gabi leaving. He runs after her. She tells him that even being seen with her will probably get him killed. Still they walk around town, chasing each other, having fun. Then Gabi has to leave, saying in romanian, that if he finds her the next day, she'll kiss him.
High on happiness, Charlie runs on the streets, but this abruptly ends when he gets hit by a car. He is then taken back to the hostel by taxi.
When he gets back, he has to face another problem. Karl has been to an audition for a porn movie, took 5 to 6 viagras and has a priapism. So instead of seeking medical help, they go to a titty bar, where he comes, finally easing the load. This gets them almost killed by the club's owner, Darko.
However Charlie sees pictures of Nigel and Gabi on the wall, and tells Darko, he knows something about Nigel. So Darko lets them go for a while.
Charlie seeks out Gabi in the operahouse, but only meets Bela, who takes him to the wake of Gabi's father. They talk there, and Gabi tells Charlie about how she met Nigel, that when she figured out the real Nigel it was too late.
Nigel crashes the party, threatening to cut Charlie's neck with a broken glass, when Gabi shoots at him. So he leaves. Gabi and Charlie stay in the house and they have sex.
The next day Charlie finds the video everyone wants, that shows Nigel and Darko killing people. This video belongs to Gabi's father, who used it to keep Nigel away from her.
Charlie goes to the café Gabi used to play, and finds her and Nigel there. He tells them, he found the video. He gets beaten up by Nigel, but the police arrives, and that saves him at least for a while longer.
Charlie is taken by the police, and Bela pays the guard to let him go free, and be sent out to Budapest, never to come back.
A guard takes Charlie to the hostel he is staying, to collect his stuff, but Darko's men are there, waiting for him. They chase him around, but he eventually looses them in the subway. After this he goes back to Gabriella's house, and starts searching for the tape, he foolishly left in the casette player. It is missing, and Darko is waiting for him there. Charlie gets beaten up again. Also Karl and Luc is glued together naked as they are held hostage.
Then Gabi calls Darko proposing a deal, so Charlie is left behind.
Next we see Charlie sleeping at the entrance of the opera, and Gabi walks up to him to tell him that they are over, and she belongs with Nigel. She gets into the car with him.
Charlie's mother appears and tells her son that she got it mixed up, and wanted to say Budapest, not Bucharest.
This gives Charlie the strength to finally decide, if he's going to die, he will die for love. He goes after Gabi, punches Nigel in the face, and drives off for like five feet, and then stops and gets out of the car. He gets beaten up pretty badly.
But this time the thugs take him with them and hang him from a rope over a dam. Nigel gives the gun to Gabi, to shoot Charlie, after burning the evidence. She shoots at Charlie.
The police arrives, and Darko's men, who hold the end of the line, on which Charlie is dangling, let go of him. So he falls down.
Nigel jokingly forms a gun of his fingers and is promptly shot in the head by a young cop.
At the end we see Charlie coming up to the surface, alive.
Best part of story, including ending:
This story is not a pleasant time killer. It is interesting and thought provoking. Not an everyday watch, but is worth your time to see it once.
It won't be my favourite story, but I like the mood it is set in.
Best scene in story:
Every time Charlie talks about 'us' and the oyster. He truly believes that. It's amazing.
Opinion about the main character:
I dislike his arrogance, but I like that he follows his feelings.