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	Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself
	Lone Scherfig Jamie Sives, Adrian Rawlins, Shirley Henderson, Lisa McKinlay, Mads Mikkelsen, Julia Davis, Susan Vidler 2002		With its subtle, slightly off-center humor and romantic heart, "Italian for Beginners" was a gentle triumph for Danish director Lone Scherfig. "Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself," Scherfig's follow-up and English-language debut, is another amusing, idiosyncratic, bittersweet feature, although not quite as impeccably done as its predecessor. The setting is Glasgow, Scotland, where two brothers — handsome, depressed Wilbur (Jamie Sives) and elder, genial, responsible Harbour (Adrian Rawlins) — inherit their late father's bookstore. But Wilbur, who has his way with women, is so unhappy with his life that he tries to end it, incompetently. Less successful with the ladies, ever-patient Harbour resigns himself to always monitoring Wilbur, ever a patient in the local psych ward because of his numerous suicide attempts. All morbid or comic goings-on aside, "Wilbur" is a love story about the affection between the two brothers, and between the siblings and Alice, a single mother-with-daughter who comes into their lives. Alice (the splendid Shirley Henderson) is a customer at the bookstore and works at the hospital where Wilbur is in therapy. Smitten with Alice, Harbour still must contend with Wilbur's angst. There are laughs and a few tear-jerk moments that require a delicate balancing act from Scherfig and the cast. For the most part, they succeed.


	Wednesday, December 18, 2024





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