Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
This is the second directorial effort of the Brownlee brothers after a making-of documentary to the 2004 Johnny Depp movie "The Libertine". Most recently they also worked on the newest James Bond film "Skyfall". The Suicide Brothers in this one are Tom Mison and Rupert Friend, who also wrote the screenplay. The two star as two surreal harlequin-like creatures dressed in Bavarian traditional costumes wearing heavy makeup and as you probably guessed already from the title, they exploring all kinds of ways to end their lives and keep failing gloriously. That includes shooting, hanging, popping pills and more.I initially thought this was a sequel judging from the title, but it seems it's not. The only female character is portrayed by Keira Knightly, who reunites with Friends after Pride & Prejudice, the movie that gave her her so-far only Academy Award nomination nine years ago. Here she plays a fairy and seriously could there be any better casting decision than Keira Knightly for a fairy character. No? I don't think so either. Sadly, story-wise, her character here is pretty forgettable beyond the visual side, but nonetheless when watching it I occasionally felt her scenes were taken out of a film from the turn of the 20th century and modernized. It's quite a beautiful and magic sight. Substance-wise it's still a pretty forgettable short film and I'd only recommend it if you're big on any of the trio involved.
