While
the title of the film may be a touch off putting, the actual movie Wristcutters: A Love Story is far from
it. The film is labeled as a “black comedy road movie” which pretty much hits
the nail on the head. When describing the film to people I would say that kid
from Almost Famous, that girl from A Knight's Tale and a guy who reminds
you of Gogol Bordello front man Eugene Hütz set off on a road trip to find an
ex-girlfriend and the “people in charge” in the afterlife. Along the way they
meet a real cast of characters, jam out to some great road trip tunes and
discover that maybe there is a way to get out of this dull version of the world
of the living.
I
guess the first thing I should address is the fact that this movie is about
people who commit suicide. There
is no shying away from talking about suicide in the film; in fact you find out
exactly how every character “offed” themselves. In the opening scene Zia
(Patrick Fugit) gets up, puts on Tom Waits' “Dead and Lovely,” deep cleans his
apartment, goes into the bathroom, and slits his wrists. Zia ends up in this
shitty version of the world of the living, where there are only off-brand
products, everything is dim, there are no stars, and no one can smile. Zia meets Eugene (Shea Whigham), a Russian
musician who lives with his mother, father and younger brother - all of whom
“offed” themselves. Zia learns from a friend that his ex-girlfriend Desiree (Leslie
Bibb) has also “offed” herself. Eugene and Zia take off to find her in Eugene’s
beat up car. The car itself is a character. The headlights don’t work and there
is no mechanic that has ever been able to fix them; there's also a black hole
of sorts under the front passenger seat - you drop something down there and
it’s gone forever. The trio loses sunglasses, cassette tapes, lighters, maps,
and flowers into this black hole.
Eugene and Zia pick up Mikal (Shannyn Sossamon) who
is looking for the “people in charge” and insists that she is there by mistake,
claiming she accidently overdosed. The trio encounter a man asleep in the
middle of the road (Tom Waits) who introduces himself as Kneller and invites
them back to his camp where "miracles" seem to happen. If there is
one thing I love about Waits it’s that he pops up in films and proceeds to just
be his odd Tom Waits self, almost like the film makers just let the cameras roll
on him being himself. Not far from this camp is a large gathering of people who
are there to witness Messiah King (Will Arnett) perform the “miracle” of
separating his soul from his body. Arnett gives off some serious G.O.B. (his
character from Arrested Development) vibes
as Messiah King. I’m not going to give away the ending, because honestly it
cracked me up the first time I saw it, and hopefully the hard left turn in
story line will crack you up as well.
I
can’t talk about this film without talking about the music in it. What’s a good
road trip movie without some seriously great tunes? Even before the road trip
there are very strategically chosen songs in the film. Joy Division’s “Love
Will Tear Us Apart” and Christian Death’s “Deathwish” are heard playing in the
bar Zia and Eugene frequent. Both bands were fronted by singers who committed
suicide and it seems these songs were chosen exactly for that reason. Artie
Shaw’s version of “Gloomy Sunday” - also known as the “Hungarian Suicide Song”
- makes an appearance in the film. The song's lyrics of longing for a past
lover and a vow to meet back up in the afterlife fit in with Zia’s drive to
find his ex-girlfriend Desiree. Del Shannon’s “Cry Myself to Sleep” and Gram
Parsons' “A Song for You” add to the melancholy feeling of the film. A cassette
tape of Eugene’s band (pre-“offing” himself) provides most of the soundtrack
for the drive. The fictional band is in reality gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello.
This was my introduction to Gogol Bordello, and more specifically the song
“Through the Roof 'N' Underground” which is featured multiple times and also happens
to be my favorite of their songs. The slow-moving, twangy, somewhat sad song
fits in perfectly with the drab, desolate desert world the characters find
themselves road tripping through - there is even a fun little singalong in the
car to it! The character of Eugene is based in part on Gogol Bordello front man
Eugene Hütz, which makes sense seeing as three of their songs are in the film.
"Occurrence on the Border" and "Huliganjetta" are both featured,
though not as heavily as “Through the Roof 'N' Underground.”
Wristcutters: A Love Story was one of
the first “black comedy” movies I felt like I understood both the black and the
comedy parts. The use of a very bleak setting for this version of the afterlife
plus the fact that the characters were still put in situations that are
humorous give the film a lighter touch. I say it is well worth a watch, not
just for the soundtrack and wonderful cast of characters but also the idea that
even in this afterlife there is a chance these characters will find love and
possibly a happy ending.
-
Anna Lathem
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