Wilbur

"Wilbur wants to kill himself" is a (so)moving parable about how easy is to let yourself die when everything seems meaningless and how hard is to live when a disease is mining you.

Wilbur looks like a nice guy, the kind of man women like, he's good-looking, he has a brother who loves him... it doesn't seem like his existence is that miserable. Nevertheless he wants to leave this world, that's one of men's last rights so he'll try to kill himself in any possible way. On the contrary, his brother Harbour is full of life, he's an enthusiastic person, he's in love and he's just get married... how ironic, he has an incurable cancer, but that won't stop him from clinging to life till the last consequences.

Scherfig has moved away from the stupid DOGMA corset, and creates a perfect balance between the smile and the crying, tenderness and misanthropy, between life and death. She reduces the roughness of the hardest moments with a sarcastic turn or relying on the darkest sense of humor (that's always the best antidote against tragedy). Step by step she shows Wilbur the right way (and to all of us). No moral judgments, no dogmatism... there's no need to. Wilbur is a celebration of life, but is also a show of respect for those who don't wanna live anymore. Eventually it is a celebration of the best cinema: the one that makes you feel better.

*My rate: 8.5/10

Omigod. I haven't seen a film that moved me as much as this for a long time. It tells the tale of two 30-something brothers who own a dilapidated second-hand bookshop in Glasgow, and their search for different things.

The writing is effortless, but so natural and brilliant, the characters are beautifully crafted and it makes a refreshing change to see a film that is not about the location or the effects - but about the story and characters.

As for the acting - not a bad word can be said about any of the actors. The three principals (henderson, sives and rawlings) are so utterly convincing and there is so much chemistry between them all. They are backed up by two brilliant turns from Julia Davis as Moira and Mads Mikkelsen as Horst.

It may sound depressing from the title, and you may well shed a tear before the end of the movie, but I can guarantee that you will leave the cinema a wiser and more enriched person for having seen Wilbur...

Interesting film, but this viewer was far less impressed than the Scandinavian reviewers. Performances were great overall, though some deliveries of the clumsiest lines clunked (and Henderson's babydoll voice really irritates) Some great scenes, but the black comedy is uneven (lost in translation?)/ script patchy. All that bloody backstory for Wilbur-- was Harbour meant to be justifying the selfishness of his brother or.... what? Scherfig does a wonderful job in finding the humanity of difficult, odd characters (in 'Italian for beginners' too) Wish she'd cut the stuff that didn't work because it tries to hard to be odd. And more Mikkelsen please... what he evokes in the twitch of an eyebrow-- much more impressive than all that talk. Interesting but flawed... a director to watch, however.

If you can get hold of this film it is well worth a look. Set in Scotland and telling the tale of a suicidal man whose life changes when he falls in love with single mother Shirley Henderson, it is both witty and sad in just the right measure. The love interest between the two leading characters is not straight forward and it is upon this dilemma that the film's plot revolves. Carefully directed, it never crosses the line into outright sentimentality although it does come dangerously close. Shirley Henderson is wonderful, as usual, but there are also strong performances from Jamie Sives and Adrian Rawlins. It is a low-key movie but a touching one that proves movies don't have to be violent, fast moving or steamy to entertain. Particularly suitable for lovers of kitchen sink romance.

"Wilbur" is a pretty hard movie to describe. It has many redeeming qualities, but in the end, I just didn't like it and wished I hadn't seen it.

It's another quirky comedy/drama, and it fits well into that category. I thought the writing was very good, and the comedy made me laugh out loud several times. However, the movie tries to get you to connect with the characters, and for me, it was impossible to do that. Although they're all likable people, the only one who really got to me was Wilbur's brother. If you have seen or will see the film, I'm sure you'll know why.

I wanted to like this movie, and I still just couldn't. It's very funny at times, and sometimes touching, but I left the theater being more angry and repulsed than relieved and entertained.

It's close, but unfortunately, no cigar.

5/10