FILM SCREENINGS

Wristcutters—A Love Story

2006. USA. Written and directed by Goran Dukic. Based on the novella Kneller’s Happy Campers by Etgar Keret. With Patrick Fugit, Shannyn Sossamon, Shea Whigham. Heartbroken by a break-up with his girlfriend, an aimless young man kills himself, only to wake up in the afterlife—a quirky universe that’s both strangely familiar and full of surprises. Learning that his “ex” is also there, he joins with an eccentric Russian rocker and a sexy goth hitchhiker on a road trip to find her. Visually, the film is every bit as enterprising and quirky as the story’s unexpected bends and shifts in a strange, commanding landscape. This could be the first film to express the philosophy that real growing up takes the courage to die first. The adventurous screenplay and camerawork deftly skirt the obvious, as this simultaniously sincere and funny look at adolescent unhappiness attains its own original brand of serenity. 91 min.