The Living Wake (2007) directed by Sol Tryon & written by Mike O”Connel/Peter Kline is a delightful and somewhat disturbing trip to the absurd in a similar vein to Withnail & I, Napolean Dynamite & Wes Anderson”s “Rushmore”.
The film follows the journey of eccentric drunk K. Roth Binew(Mike O”Connell) who after discovering he will die from a rare terminal disease sets about putting his affairs in order and 01 The London boarding school of Economics and Political Science Houghton Street London WC2A 2AE Tel: +44 (0)20 7955 7768 Fax: +44 (0)20 7955 7421 Email: uolip@lse. takes the bizarre decision to beat death by organising his own living wake with the aid of his friend & aide Mills(Jesse Eisenberg). Along the way we meet a series of increasingly bizarre and baffling characters; both enemies and friends, that later form the wake party. K Roth”s deceased father(Jim Gaffigan) is also ever present in the film.
Mike O”Connell pulls off a genius comic performance as K. Roth; a character for which there is no real point of reference. There is a real flavour of English eccentricity to the film; which is reflected by the setting. If you appreciate the bizarre side of comedy then this comes highly recommended.
