Wristcutters: A Love Story
Wristcutters: A Love Story | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Goran Dukić |
Screenplay by | Goran Dukić |
Based on | "Kneller's Happy Campers" by Etgar Keret |
Produced by | Chris Coen Tatiana Kelly Mikal P. Lazarev Adam Sherman |
Starring | Patrick Fugit Shannyn Sossamon Shea Whigham Leslie Bibb Tom Waits |
Cinematography | Vanja Cernjul |
Edited by | Jonathan Alberts |
Music by | Bobby Johnston Gogol Bordello |
Production companies | No Matter Pictures Crispy Films Halcyon Pictures |
Distributed by | Autonomous Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 88 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $1 million[1] |
Box office | $454,026 |
Wristcutters: A Love Story is a 2006 American black comedy fantasy road movie written and directed by Goran Dukić and starring Patrick Fugit, Shea Whigham, and Shannyn Sossamon. Its premise is set in a strange afterlife way-station that has been reserved for people who committed suicide.
It is based on Etgar Keret's short story "Kneller's Happy Campers." A graphic novel version was titled Pizzeria Kamikaze.
The film was originally intended to be shot on super-16 color infrared film, which was produced specially by Kodak. The color-shifts inherent in using this kind of film were thought to enhance the parallel world feel to the action.[2] In the end, it proved to be too time-consuming and the film was shot using normal filmstock manipulated in post-processing.[3]
The film was produced on an estimated budget of $1 million.[1] Premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, it was distributed in limited release on October 19, 2007, before being expanded into wide release on November 2, 2007. It was released on DVD on March 25, 2008, courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment.[4] The film received positive reviews and has since garnered a cult following.[5]
Plot[]
After Zia (Patrick Fugit) takes his own life, he finds himself in an afterlife limbo much the same as life, but slightly worse. The color is dim, there are no stars, and no one can smile. This strange realm is populated by people who have died by suicide, such as Eugene (Shea Whigham), a Russian musician who lives with his mother, father, and brother – all suicide victims. Together they waste most of their afterlives in bars, until Zia learns from a friend, Brian (Jake Busey), that his ex-girlfriend, Desiree (Leslie Bibb), took her own life shortly after Zia's death. He and Eugene take to the road to find her in Eugene's rundown car. Early on, it is revealed that Eugene's car has two idiosyncrasies, a black hole underneath the passenger seat where items that are dropped disappear forever, and broken headlights that cannot be fixed by even the most adept mechanics. On their trip, they pick up hitchhiker, Mikal, who insists she has arrived by mistake, and is seeking the "people in charge" (a.k.a. the PIC) in order to be sent back.
After a few adventures across the countryside, as the trio journey along a desolate highway, Mikal pushes a button, miraculously activating the broken headlights on Eugene's car. Shortly thereafter, they come upon a man lying in the middle of the dark highway, forcing them to veer off the road in order to avoid hitting him and wrecking the car in the process.
They discover the man, Kneller (Tom Waits), an eccentric commune leader, had fallen asleep while looking for his dog. Kneller invites them back to his camp, where they quickly discover that minor "miracles" occur, as long as the campers remain apathetic about the result. The group stays with the camp longer than intended, and Zia begins to obsess over the miracles and his inability to perform them. When contrasting this to Mikal's obsession with the people in charge, she reveals that her death was an accidental overdose. Eugene meets a young woman, Nanuk, whom he romances. Just as Mikal and Zia discuss their plans to leave Kneller's camp, another camper, Yan, emerges from the woods with news that Kneller's dog has been abducted by a cult leader called "Messiah King" (Will Arnett). Kneller, Zia, Mikal, and Yan set off in search of King and Kneller's dog.
The group soon find themselves lost and decide to make camp for the night. Unable to sleep, Mikal and Zia discover a nearby ocean shore, where they kiss and spend the night together. In the morning, Kneller discovers them lying among a seashore of used condoms and hypodermic needles. The group eventually reaches King's camp, where they discover that King is readying himself for a "real" miracle – to separate his soul from his body. As Kneller confronts King, Zia discovers that Desiree is a devout cult follower, having taken her own life for the purpose of following King into the afterlife.
As King is about to perform public, ritual suicide, Kneller reveals himself to be an undercover agent for the people in charge. King and Desiree are taken away, while Mikal leaves with them, promising Zia that she'll return. As Zia waits, Eugene and Nanuk arrive, explaining that Mikal has been returned to life and Kneller's camp has been shut down. They depart together on a train, giving Eugene's car to Zia. After finally performing a miracle – creating a star in the sky with a lit match next to one that Mikal had created earlier – Zia decides to take the car and wander. While he is turning over the cassette tape to place in the stereo it accidentally falls into the passenger side feet area. He reaches for it and enters the black hole under the car seat.
In a large warehouse filled with halls of boxes, Kneller is seen picking up Zia's file from a box, placing it into his inside breast pocket, and commenting on how fortunate it is to know people in high places. Zia wakes up in a hospital bed. He turns his head, noting his parents outside talking to doctors. When he looks at the person in the bed next to his, he sees Mikal. Both look at each other and smile, as the film comes to an end.
Cast[]
- Patrick Fugit as Zia
- Shannyn Sossamon as Mikal
- Shea Whigham as Eugene
- Leslie Bibb as Desiree Randolph
- Tom Waits as Kneller
- Mark Boone, Jr. as Mike
- Clayne Crawford as Jim
- Will Arnett as Messiah King
- Nick Offerman as Cop
- Mary Pat Gleason as Eugene's mother
- Anatol Rezmeritza as Eugene's father
- Cameron Bowen as Kostya
- Chase Ellison as young Kostya
- Abraham Benrubi as Erik
- John Hawkes as Yan
- Anthony Azizi as Hassan
- Jake Busey as Brian
- Sarah Roemer as Rachel
- Azura Skye as Tania
- Mikal P. Lazarev as Nanuk
- Adam G. as Gas station attendant
- Jazzmun and George Weiss Vando as Transvestites
- Amy Seimetz as Nina
Music[]
Gogol Bordello's music is used throughout the film; the character Eugene is partly based on the band's lead singer, Eugene Hütz. Tom Waits, who plays Kneller in the film, also appears on the soundtrack with the song "Dead and Lovely" (from his 2004 album Real Gone) in the opening credits. Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and Christian Death's "Deathwish" can be heard in the background of the first bar scene of the film (both bands were fronted by singers who died by suicide), and an arrangement of "Gloomy Sunday" can be heard at a later point, songs about or associated with suicide.
Reception[]
The film received a positive review in The New York Times, which named it a "Critics' Pick" and said in part that it "has an offbeat, absurdist charm that turns a potentially creepy concept into an odd, touching adventure."[6] As of March 2015, the film had a 67% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[7]
Awards[]
- Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay – Nominee
- Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature – Nominee
- 2006 Sundance Film Festival – Grand Jury Prize – Nominee
- Seattle International Film Festival Awards – Best Director – Won
- Gen Art 06 – Best Feature Film – Won
- Philadelphia 06 – Best First Feature – Won
- Humanitas Prize 2006 – Best Screenplay – Nominee
- Motovun Film Festival 2006 – Best Film Audience Award – Won
- Sundance Screenwriter's Lab selection
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Wristcutters: A Love Story". The Numbers. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ Finney, Andy. "Invisible Light". atsf.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-07-28.
- ^ Goran Dukić (Director) (2008). Making The Final Cut: The Wristcutters Journey (DVD (Special Features)). Lionsgate.
- ^ "Amazon.com".
- ^ Berriman, Ian. "FREAKSHOW Wristcutters: A Love Story". SFX Magazine. Archived from the original on 29 December 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
- ^ "Life’s a Little Bit Worse Now That They’re Dead," A. O. Scott, The New York Times, October 19, 2007
- ^ Wristcutters: A Love Story at Rotten Tomatoes
External links[]
- 2006 films
- English-language films
- 2000s fantasy films
- 2000s romantic comedy films
- Films based on short fiction
- Films about dreams
- American black comedy films
- American LGBT-related films
- American romantic comedy films
- American films
- American romantic fantasy films
- Russian-language films
- Films about suicide
- Films shot in California
- Films shot in Los Angeles
- Heaven and hell films
- American independent films
- American road movies
- 2000s road movies
- Lionsgate films
- Films about depression
- Purgatory in fiction
- 2006 directorial debut films
- 2006 comedy films