Very Cool!!!

People are voting emotionally.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

A bookshop in Glasgow, somewhat shabby and messy but still cozy. Two different brothers living in a bookshop, one nice and helpful, the other one miserable, lame and suicidal for no real reason. A tomb without a tombstone on a cemetery looking down on a gray and not very inviting city and a bookshop. A nice older brother removing chewing gum from the soft hair of a young mother selling left over books from a hospital to a bookshop. A suicidal younger brother thrown out even from his own suicide therapy group for being too destructive. A suicidal younger brother being very popular with the children of his nursery group. A young mother emotionally in between two brothers running a bookshop. A children birthday party with the highlight of a nice older brother vomiting on a child called Fatima. A lonesome nurse enjoying having her ear licked by a suicidal younger brother. A nice older brother incapable of sharing bad news with the family. A suicidal younger brother preventing a suicide attempt from someone of his former suicide therapy group. The kid of a young mother willing to invest all her savings in a somewhat shabby bookshop. A Danish uncaring psychiatrist named Horst showing emotions for a cleaning lady from his hospital in which left over books used to be removed by a former staff member. A not yet roasted Christmas duck creating mixed feelings between two brothers running a bookshop. A nice older brother always to be remembered by his stepdaughter.If you think that the above lines do not make a whole lot of sense then this is, of course, also because they do not tell the whole story but hopefully give an impression on what kind of movie it is. The overall story line is in fact quite straightforward but little unexpected things are always waiting around the corner. The characters have their flaws and do not always act rationally, as it is the case in real life. In this way, they become true human beings and no patterns thereof. The film does not try to find explanations for all things happening but accepts life in its unfairness and inexplicability, which also makes it valuable and beautiful. Allow life things to happen and do not throw it away since the outcome is unknown.In that sense, allow this movie to happen in its slow pace and you may rather be rewarded than disappointed. The solid acting performances do support the film's intention.

Somehow this movie manages to combine themes of suicide, terminal illness, ultimate betrayal, and more suicide into a touching, sensitive and uplifting experience. Of course, other more positive themes exist: the healing power of love, the possibility of change, extreme personal magnetism, compassion, acceptance and forgiveness. Don't be put off if the first 30 minutes or so seem disjointed and even boring. Everything comes together in due time. The theme of brotherly love is so powerfully represented, it is awe-inspiring. Towards the end, some of the subtle and nuanced communication is absolutely brilliant in its execution. Somewhat bittersweet, but more sweet than bitter. Beautiful.

"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

i think sense of humor is just SUCH an individual thing. perhaps the more subtle the comedic approach, the more difficult to identify and align with. I myself found this film totally engaging, amusing and lovely. i did not know, at the time of viewing, that the director had made 3 or 4 other of my favorite films, On Our Own and Italian for Beginners being the most recent. The story itself is small but it's the screenplay and that quirky funny pervading sense of humor, that IS the film. two handsome, intelligent,gentle, interesting brothers have a deep love for each other. one is the older and responsible one, who runs the inherited family used book shop. the younger one makes a career out of trying to kill himself. a sweet sad woman- with- daughter comes into their lives and the shag rug becomes a tapestry. all the acting is spot-on. the TERRIFIC screenwriters (the director being one of the two)had me caring about all of the characters. the silences, as much as the dialogue, are perfectly carried off and i really didn't feel there was a false out-of-place moment in the entire film. i saw the film last night (thank heavens for good public-library film-buyers)and the characters are in my mind today.i've a delighted smile on my face. a big 10 for me.