Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Goran Dukic

Writers:

Goran Dukic (screenplay)
Etgar Keret (short story "Kneller's Happy Campers")

Release Date:

2 November 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

Life is a trip, but the afterlife is one hell of a ride.

Plot:

A film set in a strange afterlife way station that has been reserved for people who have committed suicide.

Plot Keywords:

Suicide | Death | Hitchhiker | Afterlife | Breakup

Awards:

9 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Patrick Fugit	...	Zia
Abraham Benrubi	...	Erik
Shannyn Sossamon	...	Mikal
Shea Whigham	...	Eugene
Leslie Bibb	...	Desiree
Mark Boone Junior	...	Mike (as Mark Boone Jr.)
Cameron Bowen	...	Kostya
Mikal P. Lazarev	...	Nanuk
Clayne Crawford	...	Jim
Tom Waits	...	Kneller
Chase Ellison	...	Kid Kostya
John Hawkes	...	Yan
Will Arnett	...	Messiah
Adam G.	...	Gas Station Attendant
Mary Pat Gleason	...	Eugene's Mother

Also Known As:

Pizzeria Kamikaze (International: English title) (informal title)
Pizzerija Kamikaze (Croatia)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and disturbing content involving suicide.

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA | Croatia | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | USA:R | Australia:R | New Zealand:R18 | South Africa:13L | Netherlands:6 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

No Matter Pictures

Trivia:

When Eugene kills himself on stage by pouring a beer onto his guitar, he is drinking "Dead Guy Ale", brewed by Rogue Brewing Company.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Kneller finds Mikal and Zia sleeping on the beach, we see a needle poking through Zia's shirt. In the next shot, the needle is gone. (A short scene of dialogue where Zia takes the needle out of his shirt was edited out.)

Quotes:

Zia: Being here with you reminds me of what I was like before my suicide.
Mikal: What were you like?
Zia: I was happy...

Movie Connections:

References Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966)

Soundtrack:

Occurrence on the Border

An excellent film

An excellent film and well worth seeing: It defies pigeonholing into a genre; it's a romantic comedy, but not *at all* like the stereotypical romantic comedy, even if it does use some of the same conventions. It's a road movie, but not in the traditional sense. The dynamics and even the plot work and are believable, requiring less suspension of disbelief than I would've imagined. The music and cinematography work well into a story that is darkly/morbidly funny but also a bit sweet, without being saccharine. The acting is well done and the characters believable and quite well developed. This is definitely an art-house film, but one that it really decently pedestrian and accessible, rather than esoteric or exclusionary (that is, appealing to only art-house film lovers). The sound works well, and visual effects are only ever momentarily cheesy.