WILBUR WANTS TO KILL HIMSELF
Directed by: Lone Scherfig.
Produced by: Sisse Graum Olsen & Gillian Berrie.
Written by: Anders Thomas Jensen & Lone Scherfig.
Director of Photography: Jørgen Johansson.
Edited by: Gerd Tjur.
Music by: Joachim Holbek.
Released by: THINKFilm.
Country of Origin: Denmark/UK/Sweden/France (in English). 109 min. Rated: R.
With: Jamie Sives, Adrian Rawlins & Shirley Henderson.

Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself is the perfect title for Lone Scherfig's darkly droll film. Indeed, the film does tell the story of Wilbur (Jamie Sives), a handsome and quirky fellow who tries unsuccessfully and repeatedly to commit suicide. The simplicity of the title matches the tone of the film, which takes a childlike look at what it means to live, love and die. Harbour (Adrian Rawlins), Wilbur's older brother, decides to take him in and tries to teach him that life is worth living. Wilbur reluctantly moves in and unwittingly co-manages, with Harbour, the small used bookshop bequeathed to them by their father. Here, they meet Alice, played with exquisite subtlety by Shirley Henderson (Topsy-Turvy, Bridget Jones's Diary). In order to pay her bills, Alice, a single mother of one, visits the bookshore to sell books she finds left behind during her night shift as a hospital janitor. Harbour and Alice marry and the foursome become a family. According to Alice, "It's nice that people can get together when they don't have anyone else." Her idea of loving what you have is at the core of the film, and is ultimately what helps Wilbur overcome his suicidal tendencies. As the story unfolds, our connection to the characters deepens. With the exception of young Mary, Alice’s daughter, each personality has its flaws, but all are charming.

A skillful filmmaker, Scherfig's writing and direction are both fairy tale-like and grounded in a kitchen-sink type of reality. The honesty in each of her characters helps us believe the story even at its most outrageous moments. In this way, the film is as successful as Scherfig's last film, Italian For Beginners, a Dogme film that followed a cast of characters brought together by Italian language class and a desire for happiness. In Wilbur, Scherfig probes what it means to be at peace with life, and to find joy in humanity even during its bleakest moments. Caitlin Shamberg, former programming associate for the Mill Valley Film Festival
March 11, 2004