Rated: UR
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Year: 2007
Boobs: Zero
One Sentence: Some of the best dialog of the year.
I got to view The Living Wake at The Austin Film Festival this weekend, not knowing what to expect at all I was excited and wary. The Living Wake is a comedy that deals with the last day of a writer, artist, genius, all self proclaimed, and his assistant. The trip that follows is a extremely bizarre, wonderful journey down the street on a bike rickshaw that ends beautifully and I though was one of the smarter comedies I have seen this year.
There is no shortness of absurdity in this film, the main character played by writer, Mike O'Connel and his faithful servant, played by Jesse Eisenberg led the way with wonderful acting, singing, and prose. They both executed their parts beautifully and for being such a mad mad film, kept their heads and played it like it was the most normal thing in the world. It was I thought a wonderful refreshing performance that was low key, and genius. They were followed by a cast of characters just as wild and wonderful as they were. Many of the characters were found locally where the shooting of the movie took place.
While the idea of this movie sounds dark, and they even call it a dark comedy, I felt it was pleasantly light and very very funny. I though the whole thing while had a darkness looming over it, didn't care about it, and instead threw caution to the wind, and allowed the dialog and insane characters to come alive, even in this time of death. In the end I didn't feel sad, that the movie was very dark, and that it was a great beautiful journey and that if you can see it should.
It is playing once more at the Austin Film Festival on Tuesday October 16th at 8PM at the Dobie Theater. They are in talks for distribution now.
