Image Not Available
2005-01-01
N/A
96 min
Unable to get his novel published, young Dart wants to die -- except he can't seem to draft a suicide note, and he's not going to kill himself without one. Then along comes Mouse, and Dart may have to rethink his life. Determined to get to know this frustrated writer, Mouse is persistent in her attempts to charm Dart, who's uninterested until he realizes they are more alike than they are different.
Screenwriters just think 'teenage protagonist' + 'teenage issues' = story. Rarely do they ask 'why teens specifically?' Teenagers have a blinkered outlook. There is also raging hormones, an irrepressible impulse to do certain more grown-up things, the opposite sex's insidious physical maturation, the confusing conflict between libidinal energy and romantic love, and the pressures of school and parents. You can't blame grown-ups for forgetting all this. Teens aren't just immature adults - they're people who are dealing with a lot of things for the first time. And at the same time. It is as much an irony that they live such a blinkered existence at a time they could really do with vision and foresight, as it is that Romeo and Juliet committed suicide.
Here, we have a laser focus on teen angst. Several Ways to Die Trying is a film that is mostly dialogue. It is a real dynamic between the two characters, who we stick with like glue. It is a sweet, heartfelt tale. They're both performed well, too - especially for the production's small scale.
