So far this year the catalogue of crap that we've had to put up has gotten past the point of stupid, we've had sparkling vampires, remakes of remakes, old franchises being fucked up and having to witness the very pillars that made up our childhood being dolled-up and dumbed-down for a quick buck at the box office.

Honestly, with the state of films the way they are now I was getting severely depressed with having to review the likes of the new Terminator, Transformers, Harry Potter movies, which is why I've put them off because if I did have to sit through them I probably would've killed myself by now because let's face it, this is what we've got to put up with until the financial crisis allows directors and producers to actually take a risk on something.

Thank god for indie studios eh?

If you've never seen an independent film release before and prefer to suckle at the fat, money-grabbing slimy tit of the big-budget studios I want you to find a pen right now, any pen will do. Go look for one, I'll wait.

Right, got one? Good. Now lay your left hand flat on the table and with the right hand I want you to stab the point of the pen into your left hand, congratulations you've discovered this really fucking hurts, that's your punishment for not at least renting the veritable cornucopia of epic releases such as Pi, Requiem For A Dream, Splinter, Little Miss Sunshine, Donnie Darko, Office Space, The Cube Trilogy, Clerks, Factory Girl, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Juno, The Squid And The Whale or Eagle VS Shark.

You can redeem yourself by watching "Wrist Cutters" a film that mixes the depressing with the hopeful; the dark with the humorous; the surreal with the mundane and promise with denial in a seamless mix of that undeniably impossible to define genre: the "dark comedy".

To say that this film is a little like what would happen if "Dead Like Me" met "Little Miss Sunshine" and threw in a little of "Requiem For A Dream" with "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind" wouldn't be doing it justice because it's actually nothing like these films, not in the slightest. However it is just as good as those movies, everything it does it does well and it does pretty much what it sets out to do right from the offset and that's make you think.

Now, obviously you box-office whores hate to think about anything, so if you're waiting for a film filled with special effects then this film has some but don't hold your breath. This film has a few special effects but they're far from impressive, in fact they look like they were done on some kid's pirated editing software. Don't let this put you off though, this film isn't all about car chases, superstar actors or things going boom. No this is a film that makes you think so if you'd rather sit slack-jawed through a jumped-up firework display of a toy advert like a fucking mouth-breather then be my guest but I was hoping that there'll be at least someone out there who'd rather watch something a little more cerebral.

"Wrist Cutters" has its' own personality just like "Donnie Darko" and "Little Miss Sunshine" had their own personalities and it's with this that every indie film excels. Box Office movies might be impressive and flashy but they're forgettable since there's always going to be another five or six like it waiting around the corner but indie films at least try to speak to you on a slightly more personal level.

There are pros and cons to this approach: the con is that only certain people will like a certain film and therefore the audience is limited so there isn't nearly enough of these little gems being made. The pro to that is that these films are unique in their own rights and the fact that they aren't so universally recognized so more effort is put into making each film a lot more personal instead of trying to wow everyone at once like some kind of media whore.

"Wrist Cutters" is a simple film that doesn't try to ram any single message down your neck, that's not how independent films work. The way any good indie film tries to get its' message to you is by giving you enough information to form a conclusion but never actually letting you know what conclusion you should be reaching therefore allowing you to form your own opinion and imprint a little of yourself onto it so you can see little bits of yourself in the movie. The main question you should be asking when watching any independent film is: "What would I do in that situation?"

"Wrist Cutters" uses an understated cast that deliver each and every character perfectly. Every character in this film is spot-on in terms of how well-rounded they are. The acting only suffers in minor chunks but the main characters are acted so well you end up ignoring any of the small cock-ups along the way. The script is well-written and touches on many subjects but also gives you a chance to laugh at something that's not supposed to be funny: suicide.

Yes, this is a film about suicide, or to put it more accurately: this is a film about what happens after you commit suicide. The basic premise of this film is that after you "off yourself" (as the many characters in this film put it) you end up in a world pretty much exactly like your own, the only difference is that everything is a just that little bit worse.

Using this basic premise "Wrist Cutters" is allowed itself to mix the mundane landscapes of what appears to be something resembling the rolling plains of the Arizona Desert with the downright freaky idea's of such things as a black hole in the passenger side of Eugine's car or being able to perform miracles when you need them the least.

The story follows Zia, a pretty nice guy who slashes his wrists following the breakup with his girlfriend Desiree he ends up in what can only be described as a sort of "Limbo" which is represented here as a high-desert landscape dotted by old tires, burned-out cars, and abandoned sofas.

Zia gets a job in Kamikaze Pizza (which was a subtle enough pun to get a minor giggle out of me). By chance, Zia learns that Desiree "offed herself" a few months after he did. This sets Zia off on a road-trip across the arid wastelands to find Desiree in an effort to take the edge off of his depressing afterlife claiming that she was the only thing he missed about his life before "offing himself". Zia doesn't have a car of his own but earlier on in the film he meets a Russian by the name of Eugine who killed himself in an extremely amusing way.

On the way the pair meet Mikal, a newcomer to the afterlife who likes to deface signs in an effort to brighten up the depressing landscape of the afterlife and is convinced that she's there by accident and is determined to find whoever is "In Charge" to sort it out and bring her back to the living world again.

On the surface this story appears to be a simple road-trip across the desert, but what actually happens is a story so deep and compelling that it does make you question such things as mortality, love, friendship and the ability to make the best out of what you've got no matter how dire the situation.

I recommend this film to anyone who has a craving for something a little different than what we're having to endure right now. This film is well-worth a watch with its' subtle humor and cast of interesting, likable characters. The story is well paced and the writing is excellent, if you liked "Eternal Sunshine" or "Requiem For A Dream" you'll love this. If you'd rather see a film packed with eye-candy and superstars then this film will probably bore you as there isn't a single explosion in it. Not one.