Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself Lone Scherfig Denmark 2003
Wilbur is the sanest guy in Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself. Enticingly prompting laughs at Wilbur’s expense with his ease with life and utter incompetence in death. As Wilbur points out it becomes more embarrassing each time he survives. Despite the occasional concerted burst of effort he just can’t succeed, especially due to the intervention of saintly older brother Harbour. Cataloguing previous mortal misdemeanours with the suicide discussion group, run by the impenetrable psychiatrist Horst, is enough to suck the zest for living out of anyone.
Misdirecting us with Wilbur’s flamboyant attempts at suicide Scherfig sidles in Harbour, the man who saw how the early death of his mother affected his younger brother, nursed his father through a terminal illness and now suffers Wilbur’s shenanigans. Everyone in a film this pensive about mortality is associated with the local hospital in some fashion, be it working, recuperating or merely visiting. When Harbour’s diagnosis is dire we are enveloped in his decision to withhold the news. Implicating the audience with the doctors whilst maintaining resonance with the central characters rakes the eventual betrayal sorely. Wilbur may well want to kill himself, but the film that bears his name is really all about his brother.
Adrian Rawlins (as Harbour) gives the subtle performance of a man holding it all together in the short time allotted before entropy wins. Initially playing the straight man to Wilbur’s comedy wrist slasher, he appears almost inconsequential before the onslaught of gallows humour. Provide Rawlins with an actual reason to perhaps consider suicide and suddenly he’s the journeyman actor given centre stage who knows just what to do. With little or subtle make-up and considerable nuance Rawlins wilts under his characters medication. Under the spotlight of this dramatic reappraisal he eclipses the mostly one-dimensional Wilbur and steals the film. Jamie Sives (as Wilbur) has an easy time of it, smirking and slumbering on the strong script. Attractive to women, dispensing witticisms with sarcastic infants then slashing his wrists, challenges Sives little until the impending maturity drubbing occurs. Given the opportunity to go beyond smart-arse with a death wish, he has a glimmer of range before the credits. Shirley Henderson’s character Alice marries Harbour and sleeps with Wilbur. Her undulating Scottish accent does little and her predictable character does less.
In a pivotal later scene, Wilbur slams orange stuffing into the wall in fury. Coerced into maturity by Harbour’s illness and his attraction to Alice, suicide has been outgrown and a solution to the brothers love triangle is imminent. Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself deals with the transition from the human condition softly, amusingly and disarmingly.
