Have you ever imagined what happens to people who kill themselves? In Wristcutters: A Love Story, audiences are shown an idea of what happens.  Zia (Patrick Fugit, Almost Famous) is depressed that his girlfriend Desiree (Leslie Bibb, TV’s Popular) broke up with him, so he decides to kill himself.  Instead of just dying he is taken to a parallel world that is not quite unlike the one he just left, only worse.  In this new world Zia still works, has a roommate, and even goes out drinking at bars but it doesn’t matter because he still can’t get over his ex-girlfriend.  Amazingly enough he discovers that she has also killed herself and starts his journey to find her again.  Taking his new best friend Eugene (Shea Whigham, All the Real Girls) with him they travel to try and find her.  Along they way they meet new people, all who have their own story of how they “offed” themselves.  Mikal (Shannyn Sossamon, The Rules of Attraction) is one of the people they meet, but her story is a little different.  She claims that her death was a mistake, not a suicide and she is looking for the people in charge of their world to fix the mistake. 

Based on the short story “Knellar’s Happy Campers” by Etger Keret and adapted for the screen by the director Goran Dukic Wristcutters is not a movie for everyone.  Personally I enjoyed this movie for his morbid humor.  Not many movies can take a black hole in a car and make it so funny, and multiple times no less!  I also really liked how the movie flashed back to the characters’ deaths so audiences could have a bit background, rather than just a quick mention.  Not to worry if you’re worried about graphic death scenes, they really aren’t too bad. The worst one the audience sees is Zia’s and only the aftermath is really shown, with a little blood.

Although the story doesn’t seem very believable, I did find the characters to be.  Whigham really impressed me as the Russian friend Eugene.  I didn’t find out until watching the audio commentary that he is actually American! I was completely fooled!  His character added a lot of humor in a subtle way. It also helped that all the actors played off each other incredibly well.  The three main characters were mostly in a car for the first half or so of the movie, and I never got tired of watching them in it. 

I did get tired of watching the movie for a bit in the middle.  Things got a little confusing when they arrived at Knellar’s (Tom Waits, well known singer and sometimes actor) camp, another character they meet along the way.  I felt that the movie lacked a bit at this time as it seemed the characters kind of gave up on their journey for awhile to discover new things.  Soon enough though everything ties together and makes sense as to why they had to veer off their path.  Besides the acting another thing to pay attention to is the soundtrack.  During the commentary Dukic noted that they tried to use many songs by artists who committed suicide to go along it the theme of the movie, very clever. 

Wristcutters: A Love Story delivered for me in more than one way.  Yes it’s a love story, but it’s also a comedy. Not to be confused with a romantic comedy – which is completely different! I would give this movie a sold B for above average, which I feel it was.