Overview
A darkly comedic journey through love, loss, and the bonds of brotherhood.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- witty
- dry
- quiet evening
- reflective movie night
What critics said
Critics and audiences broadly valued the film's dry humor, compassionate handling of dark themes, and strong ensemble performances, while its bleak premise proved less overwhelming than the title suggests.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Wilbur's repeated suicide attempts and the brothers' bleak circumstances are balanced by understated humor and humane observation.
The inherited second-hand bookshop anchors the brothers' daily life and draws Alice and Mary into their household.
Wilbur's suicidal ideation is placed alongside Harbour's lifelong caregiving and the family's search for meaning and hope.
Harbour's love for Alice intertwines all four central characters, including Alice's daughter Mary, into a new domestic unit.
Films like Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself, and why
The Skeleton Twins
shared dry humor, depression themes, intimate family drama, and emotionally hopeful treatment of suicidal ideation
Harold and Maude
shared melancholic comedy, unconventional romance, emotional vulnerability, and bittersweet warmth
Inside I'm Dancing
shared British Isles setting, dry comic tone, damaged characters, and redemptive family relationships
Truly Madly Deeply
shared ensemble intimacy, existential themes, understated romance, and compassionate dark humor
Movie Details
- Director
- Lone Scherfig
- Release Date
- 2002-11-08
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (110)
Cast
- Jamie Sives
- Adrian Rawlins
- Shirley Henderson
- Lisa McKinlay
- Mads Mikkelsen
- Julia Davis
- Susan Vidler
- Lorraine McIntosh
- Gordon Brown
- Mhairi Morrison
Common questions
- What is Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself about?
- A dryly comic Scottish-Danish drama follows two bereaved brothers whose bookshop, romance, and fragile new family create a precarious route away from despair.
- What is Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself as mild.
- What did critics think of Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself?
- Critics and audiences broadly valued the film's dry humor, compassionate handling of dark themes, and strong ensemble performances, while its bleak premise proved less overwhelming than the title suggests.
- Which films are like Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself?
- Films with a similar feel include The Skeleton Twins, Harold and Maude, Inside I'm Dancing, and Truly Madly Deeply.
- How long is Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself?
- Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself runs 111 minutes.
