Pleasantly uplifting

It's hot. Everything sucks. And all he can think about is his ex-girlfriend. If everyone found out suicide was like this, maybe fewer people would off themselves.\nUnfortunately for Zia (Patrick Fugit) in "Wristcutters: A Love Story," it's too late for that. After slitting his wrists over breaking up with his girlfriend, Zia finds himself in an afterlife where everything is the same, only a little worse. He can't smile. He lives with an annoying roommate. And he works in a crappy pizza joint. \nPassing his time in bars, he befriends Eugene (Shea Whigham), a former Russian rocker who lives with his family (because they all killed themselves, too). One day while shopping for cottage cheese, Zia runs into an old acquaintance and finds out his ex-girlfriend Desiree killed herself shortly after Zia's own suicide. So Zia makes it his mission to find his lost ex-love as he convinces Eugene to go on a road trip. Along the way, they pick up Mikal (Shannyn Sossamon), a hitchhiker looking for the people in charge because she believes they made a mistake in her case. Together, they bond as they travel on the road and pursue their causes. \nConsidering how many festival awards this film has won and the acclaim it has garnered, it comes as no surprise that "Wristcutters" is a hit. Goran Dukic's adaptation of Etgar Keret's novella gives us a fresh and smart take on what the afterlife holds for those who "off" themselves (as well as a few laughs about a topic as serious as suicide). Shot on super-16 color infrared film, the screen seems to be washed in a pale seafoam green throughout the movie, giving off the rundown feel of a cheap afterlife. Patrick Fugit does a solid job in the lead role, while Shea Whigham provides side-splitting laughs as Zia's Russian sidekick. The always stunning Sossamon continues to break hearts in this movie, and the ever-witty Tom Waits, as the miraculous happy camper Kneller, manages to steal every scene he's in (except, of course, when Will Arnett makes his brief but glorious appearance as "Messiah") while offering a few lines of insight. \nAside from the occasional "How does Shannyn Sossamon unsuccessfully hitchhike anywhere?" moments in the movie, "Wristcutters" is a strange yet pleasantly uplifting success. Hopefully, this movie will do for suicide what "Jaws" did for swimming at the beach.