Program Note
Jimmy wakes up in a bathtub with his wrists slit, an obvious suicide attempt. Only, Jimmy is pretty sure he didn’t do it. Sure, he tried to kill himself a few years ago, but this time, it wasn’t him. Probably, Margot, the 911 operator who took his call, is the only person who will listen to him due to her own dark past chasing the killer of suicidal depression, so the two set out on an amateur and hilarious investigation into Jimmy’s attempted’ murder/suicide. Kill Me is an impressive feature debut from Peter Warren, who tackles topics such as mental health, family dynamics, and human relations, combining them into a comedy-whodunit with expertise. Audiences are not quite sure whether Jimmy is a victim of violence or of his internal mental struggles; this is, in fact, the real issue presented in the film: the humane look at one's mental health. Aided with a career-redefining performance by Charlie Day as troubled Jimmy, Kill Me was heralded as one of the standouts at this year's SXSW. (Jongsuk Thomas Nam)