"Wristcutters: A Love Story" appeals to the morbid romantic, ironically reconciling the dark, hopeless idea of suicide with a love story. The movie stars a few cult-famous actors: Patrick Fugit from "Almost Famous" (2000), Shannyn Sossamon from "The Rules of Attraction" (2002), Will Arnett from "Arrested Development" - and infamous raspy-voiced singer Tom Waits.
Any film with the word "wristcutters" in the title is certainly not going to be the feel-good movie of the year. About five minutes into the movie Zia (played by Fugit), distraught over his breakup with Desiree (Leslie Bibb), takes a razor to his wrist. As he bleeds out onto his bathroom floor, he begins to narrate why we see him alive and well in the next scene. No, he isn't flashing back just yet; he is entering the weird realm in which he remains for the rest of the film.
This realm is a strange purgatory-type place where people who "offed" themselves are sent after death. Inside this purgatory, life is close to normal human life - except a little worse: everyday objects are broken and don't work correctly; people are unable to smile; there are no stars in the sky at night. Zia gets a job at the local pizza place entitled "Pizza Kamikaze," and frequents a local bar where he meets Eugene (Shea Whigham).
Eugene is a Russian musician whose entire family committed suicide - there's a hint of cultural stereotyping. Eugene lives with all of them in this particular world of purgatory. Zia meets familiar people he used to know in real life and finds a friend who tells him Desiree killed herself shortly after he did. The rest of the film is devoted to Zia and Eugene's quest to find Desiree so Zia can try to make amends after their especially messy break-up and start over. Many of the trip's twists and turns introduce important characters, notably Mikal (Sossamon) who believes she has arrived in error.
The movie takes a tongue-in-cheek look at suicide. In no way does the plot romanticize the act, but the film presents the events in such a way that the audience is able to laugh along with the characters when they reminisce about their suicides. Almost all of the characters have interesting backgrounds revealed through flashbacks. The story of Eugene's family's suicides and his own ridiculous death following indicate how radical these people are, and also how much they want to be together. Similarly revealing, Eugene's band is based on the cabaret-punk outfit Gogol Bordello - giving viewers a sense of Eugene's typical behavior.
The film is adapted from a short story, "Kneller's Happy Campers" by Etgar Keret and his graphic novel "Pizzeria Kamikaze" which he co-wrote with Asaf Hanuka. It stays true to its roots even though director Goran Dukic decided to take a little artistic license by adding elements to the film which contribute to its absurdist feel. For example, the car that Zia and Eugene ride in has a "black hole" in it so that anything dropped under the seat will never be found again.
Ironically, all things considered, self-mutilation and all, the dark road-trip romantic comedy yielded by the rest of the plot creates just what the title suggests: a love story. The film can even be considered a date movie - as long as the couple has a sick, twisted, and dark sense of humor. With that in mind, the film is not for everyone. Viewers disinclined to blood and/or discussions/depictions of suicide, might be better off opting for a John Cusack flick.
