09/02/2003 - For Wilbur wants to kill himself Lone Scherfig (Italian for beginners) chooses 35mm, despite the rules of Dogma

Read the Special - Berlinale 2003

Danish director Lone Scherfig’s run of luck began two years ago at the Berlinale when her Italian for beginners (Italiensk for begyndere) was acclaimed by critics and the public.
So it’s no surprise that the 53rd Berlin Film Festival’s Special Events section was the natural choice for the international premiere of Scherfig’s first English-language feature, Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself [+see also:
trailer
film profile].
After making a film in DV in accordance with the rules of Dogma 95, Scherfig chose 35mm for this characteristically bittersweet story of men experiencing life crises: Wilbur, an egocentric and fragile potential suicide and his optimistic and generous brother. This is a film about pain and laughter that Scherfig made with her habitual light touch.
“I wanted 35mm in order to return to the classic structure of film language, and to put Dogma and DV to one side. In return I was given the freedom to choose lights, photography and music,” says Scherfig.
Funded by Scottish Screen, the Danish Film Institute and the Nordic Film & TV Fund, Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself was made almost entirely on location in Glasgow.
“The film became more serious because it’s set in Scotland, a society that’s rife with economic contrasts, and that contributed to making the story all the more comprehensible.”
In fact, the leaden Scottish skies over Glasgow give a sense to the hopelessness of Wilbur’s grey existence.

(Translated from Italian)