Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself (2004)

★★★½
With a title like Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself, one might assume this is a downer of a movie, but in reality, it's engaging and challenging. This is a film that you shouldn't accept at face value. Doing so would result in disillusionment. Think hard about why Wilbur and Alice do what they do, and you'll see the redeeming factor in the movie's narrative.

Wilbur (Jamie Sives) is a depressed bookstore owner who has been unable to cope with his father's death. He tries, unsuccessfully and on many occasions, to kill himself. Usually, his brother Harbour (Adrian Rawlins) saves him. Sometimes, his plans just don't work. Whether he uses pills, gas or hanging, fate spares Wilbur. Frequent visits to a psychiatric session with other suicide attempters don't work. What he needs is something in his life to live for, and right now, he feels that his existence is devoid of meaning. Harbour moves Wilbur into his flat, right above the bookstore, to keep an eye on him. He removes all sharp objects and other materials that Wilbur might attempt to use, such as neckties.

Harbour and his girlfriend Alice (Shirley Henderson) are about to get married. She already has a daughter named Mary (Lisa McKinlay). Wilbur likes them, but their presence doesn't deter him from taking his own life. Alice catches him in the act. He was able to improvise with an electronic cord, but she stops him just in time.

All of this is played out under the overcast skies of Glasgow, Scotland. The dreary weather casts a similar atmosphere on the story. The movie takes place over several months, and during that time, Wilbur tries hard to make his life worth living, then attempts suicide, then repeating the cycle all over again. He flirts with a nurse at a clinic, and he even takes joy in insulting a customer looking for a Rudyard Kipling book. At Mary's birthday party, he gladly entertains the guests. Occasionally, he feels alive, and the suicide tendency passes. However, we know his history, and the possibility of another attempt might show itself at any time.

Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself is a mix of drama and comedy. The characters, even Wilbur, aren't funny so much because they try to be, but because they find themselves in unusual situations, and a snappy remark serves as punctuation. When Wilbur asks that a nurse lick his ear, he does so because such an act would give him a moment of excitement. What he says when she's done is amusing, but it also puts the finishing touch on an already bizarre scene.

Harbour has a secret that he doesn't tell his family. It's serious enough that he has to leave the house occasionally. When this happens, sexual tension builds up between Wilbur and Alice. The two are often alone, and after questioning whether this is a good idea or not, they proceed with their feelings, confident that Harbour won't find out. This is where the movie becomes more complicated. Here we have a suicidal man who has set forth a pattern of self-fulfillment in an attempt to find reason to live. His next experiment is Alice. She goes along with it not for selfish reasons, but because she understands the consequences if she doesn't. It's not an easy decision for her, but if she turns him away, it could kill him. The cycle has to end somehow. This is her way of rescuing him from suicide. In a touching way, the final scene suggests that Harbour would have approved.

Director Lone Scherfig deals with a touchy subject and finds a respectable way to use it. Wilbur's ordeal is a serious matter, and the director treats it as such. Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself is a difficult film, not because of the subject matter, but because the motives behind its characters' actions aren't always easy to pinpoint. Once you see the reason behind what Wilbur and Alice do, then you've uncovered a whole new level on which to admire this movie.

© 2004 Silver Screen Reviews