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DON’T JUDGE THE MOVIE BY ITS POSTER
After earning the ire of both the MPAA and alarmed motorists with its unapproved billboard campaign for the upcoming Elisha Cuthbert torture pic Captivity, After Dark Releasing is preparing to court further controversy with its campaign for Wristcutters, a very good film that deals, in part, with suicide.
Here’s Gregg Goldstein in The Hollywood Reporter:
Fifteen suicide prevention groups are dead set against After Dark Films’ proposed campaign for the comedy Wristcutters: A Love Story, which is set to bill itself with signs showing people killing themselves.
After Dark Films co-owner Courtney Solomon said late Friday that while the film’s promotion may feature images of people jumping off a bridge, electrocuting and hanging themselves, they would be displayed as traffic-style stop or yield signs with a barring-style circle and line over the illustrations, along with hearts to reference the film’s romantic story line. He said the campaign may change before its mid-July rollout because of the outcry.
Solomon intends to offer screenings or DVDs of the film to concerned organizations in the next few weeks, then discuss the campaign with them and ask for their input. “The movie takes place in purgatory, and its message is that love is better than suicide,” he said, adding that the film may even help prevent suicide. “Our job is to get people into the theater in a way that’s accessible to them. There are many different ways to skin a cat. God forbid someone was considering committing suicide. This film may change their opinion.”
