Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006)

A film set in a strange afterlife way station that has been reserved for people who have committed suicide.

Director:

Goran Dukic

Writers:

Goran Dukic (screenplay), Etgar Keret (short story "Kneller's Happy Campers")

Stars:

Patrick Fugit, Shea Whigham, Tom Waits

9 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Will Arnett	...	Messiah
Abraham Benrubi	...	Erik
Leslie Bibb	...	Desiree
Mark Boone Junior	...	Mike (as Mark Boone Jr.)
Cameron Bowen	...	Kostya
Clayne Crawford	...	Jim
Chase Ellison	...	Kid Kostya
Patrick Fugit	...	Zia
Adam Gifford	...	Gas Station Attendant (as Adam G.)
Mary Pat Gleason	...	Eugene's Mother
John Hawkes	...	Yan
Mikal P. Lazarev	...	Nanuk
Aaron Parker Mouser	...	Max (as Aaron Mouser)
Nick Offerman	...	Cop
Anatol Rezmeritza	...	Eugene's Father

Storyline

Despondent over his breakup with Desiree, Zia slashes his wrists and goes to an afterlife peopled by suicides, a high-desert landscape dotted by old tires, burned-out cars, and abandoned sofas. He gets a job in a pizza joint. By chance, Zia learns that Desiree offed herself a few months after he did, and she's looking for him. He sets off with Eugene (an electrocuted Russian rocker) to find her, and they pick up a hitchhiker, Mikal, who's looking for the People in Charge, believing she's there by mistake. They're soon at the camp of Kneller, where casual miracles proliferate. They hear rumors of a miraculous king. Can Zia find Desiree? Then what? Where there's death there's hope.

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Plot Keywords:

suicide | hitchhiker | afterlife | road trip | black hole | 

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Taglines:

Nobody's Perfect

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and disturbing content involving suicide

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

2 November 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Csuklónyiszálók

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$42,808, 21 October 2007, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$316,996, 14 December 2008

Company Credits

Production Co:

No Matter Pictures, Crispy Films, Adam Sherman

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shea Whigham's character (Eugene) is partly based on Gur Bentwich, Israeli writer/director and friend of Etgar Keret who wrote "Kneller's Happy Campers". He is also partly based on Eugene Hutz, front-man of Gogol Bordello and friend of director Goran Dukic.

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Goofs

Approximately 44 minutes into the movie, when Zia first encounters the note written by Desiree, she writes the letter "I" in cursive, when he goes outside to show it to his two friends, the letter "I" in the note is shown again in print.

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Quotes

Eugene: I'm not sitting in the back.
Zia: Why not?
Eugene: 'Cause everybody knows guy in the back seat doesn't have a cock.
Zia: What?
Eugene: That's a fact. If the guy in the backseat had a cock, he wouldn't be back there in the first place.
[Mikal scroffs]
Zia: Well, I... I mean, I got a cock man. So, how can... I'm not... Mik, do you have a cock?
Mikal: Yeah, I have a cock.
Zia: Wut?
Mikal: Big fat one.
[...]

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Thought-Provoking Life After Death Movies (2016)

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Soundtracks

She's Fallen In Love With A Monster Man
Written by David Sutch (as Lord David Sutch)
Performed by David Sutch (as Screaming Lord Sutch)
Courtesy of Lord Sutch Music

User Reviews

Captivating

This is one of "those" movies. You know the kind - like a catchy tune the vibe of this movie stays in your head... the movie had all the chances in the world to be depressing, but it was far from it, there are only a few drama elements and the title is not deceiving, it truly is a love story and a beautiful one at that and also threaded with great humor, when I laughed, I laughed hard. And I would probably cry if the ending was any different.

I won't go into possibilities and impossibilities of metaphysical, because that's absolutely not what this story is about; purgatory, if you will, is only the stage, where the romantic play is performed, with that, it's innovative though actually daring, as it was probably obvious the box office would never explode from what 'Wristcutters' would make. In my opinion, the movie is so well made it would have been great even if it was stripped of suicide thing and it was just a plain love story. Oh and Shannyn Sossamon was so convincing, I think I'm in love with her now. ;)