Wristcutters: A Love Story takes place in an afterlife similar to our own world except sadder where all the inhabitants have committed suicide . One such inhabitant is Zia, who slit his wrists after he got dumped by his girlfriend. After learning that she also offed herself, he sets off on a road trip to find her. He's joined by Eugene, a struggling rock star who killed himself over the integrity of his music, and Mikal, a former drug addict who died of an accidental overdose and believes she isn't supposed to be there. The trio go on a surreal adventure finding all sorts of people with interesting stories, many of which are making the best attempt at being happy in a world where it is literally impossible to smile.
This is one of the more original stories I have seen in a long time. The premise alone (an afterlife just for suicide victims) is more original than most films made in years. And with such a premise, the filmmakers had an open door to go down a cliche route explaining why suicide is not the answer, and dive deep into all the other existential discussions that would come from people who consciously remember dying, topics I find that have been done to death in other media. Instead, you find an endearing and quirky affirmation of life told through black comedy starring epressed and desperate people who have already given up on life yet have clung together to create a new society and satisfying "realities," a seemingly impossible feat.
The strongest aspect of this movie is its characters. Zia, Mikhal, Eugene, and even the mysterious Kneller, played by the even more mysterious Tom Waites, are incredibly relatable characters yet have enough zany to make them really stand out. The rest of the cast is a series of weirdos like a throat-singing mute and a wannabe messiah trying to kill himself......AGAIN! There are endless fairytale-like scenarios that play out making this seem more like a comically dark Wizard of Oz.
Wristcutters offers an enjoyable, funny tale of life after death in a way never seen before.
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