Post by BIGFANBOY on Nov 2, 2007 5:59:56 GMT -5
WRISTCUTTERS: A LOVE STORY
Review by Gary Dean Murray
While watching Wristcutters: A Love Story one has to wonder about the eventual fate that is bestowed upon man by the Creator. It is argued that all art can basically be boiled down into one question - Is there anything else after this life? And, in it’s own sick little way; this flick tries to answer the Big Question.
The movie starts with Zia (Patrick Fugit) cleaning his little apartment. When he has the place immaculate, he takes a razor blade, slitting his wrists with blood pooling in the sink and on the floor. The last thing he notices as he blacks out is a dust bunny in the corner.
Our hero now finds himself in Purgatory along with all the others who decided to check out of the mortal world. It is almost exactly like the planet left, just a bit duller. Landing a job at a pizza parlor, Zia finds that the afterlife isn’t any better than his past life. It is blander, without color of flash. In this part of non-existence, no one ever smiles.
He befriends a Russian who has an entire family that had committed suicide. We get flashbacks to all of their demises. Zia finds out from another friend that just after his suicide, his beloved girlfriend Desiree (Leslie Bibb) had also killed herself. One gets the idea that he killed himself over her.
Zia, in almost a Wizard of Oz fashion has to make a quest to find her. Along the way, the two travelers pick up a young woman (Shannyn Sossamon) who insists that she is stuck in here by mistake. She is on a quest of her own to find the people who run Purgatory in order to right her case.
During their journey, this trio discovers a group led by Tom Waits. They seem to have a connection to the powers that be but are much more interested in a Messiah (Will Arnett) who may have a way back to the real world. Even by giving this much of the story away, I still haven’t compromised the entire plot.
The little touches make this film sing the song obtuse. An example - under the passenger seat of their car is a vortex to another dimension. Whenever someone drops anything - sunglasses, cassette tape - the item falls into the nether reaches of existence. A cop pulls our heroes over. When he takes off his hat to scratch his head, the shotgun suicide wound is visible.
I have to hand it to writer director Goran Dukic for giving what will be one of the most discussed little flicks on the year. As he entertains, he poses and dismisses questions and concepts. Almost as if he were a cat toying with a ball of string, we are taken on a mystical journey of his imagination.
But, don’t get me totally wrong, this is in no way a perfect film. It has a tendency to run over concepts and go over some of the same ground again. Anyone who has seen a movie can guess the eventual ending. It is obvious what is going to transpire, but with a ride it is the journey not the eventual outcome that is important.
If there were ever an Oscar for strangest film, Wrist Cutters: A Love Story would certainly be in the running. If one is looking for something on a very different level, don’t miss this little quirky bit of cinema.
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