The Living Wake
Encyclopedia
The Living Wake is a dark comedic film written and produced by Mike O'Connell and Peter Kline. A directorial debut and also produced by Sol Tryon, the film stars Mike O'Connell, Jesse Eisenberg
, and Jim Gaffigan
.
) on his final attempt and last day to live. Throughout the film, he attempts to find the meaning of life in "a brief, but powerful monologue" that his eccentric father had promised to tell him, but abandoned K. Roth before he could. This could be interpreted as K. Roth coming to peace with his father's abandonment.
K. Roth's final day begins with a confrontation with his neighbor and rival, Reginald(Eddie Pepitone), whom he invites to his living wake. With his friend Mills, he attempts to make his funeral arrangements, visits a "liquorsmith," and makes a goat sacrifice in order to appease Greek gods
. Believing that love is the meaning of life, K. Roth has a picnic with his former nanny, Marla(Diane Kagan), whom he describes as his true love. This fails, and after a brief romp with a prostitute(Colombe Jacobsen-Derstine), whom he also invites to his wake, K. Roth and Mills journey to the public library, where he tries to donate his entire works. When his books are deemed to be unfit for reading, K. Roth visits a psychic(Rebecca Comerford) in another attempt to find the meaning of life.
With his wake and death looming, K. Roth falls into a depression. He is revived when he chances upon a church, the members of which encourage him to reconnect with his family. His brother, Karl(Mark Schulte), and mother(Jill Larson
)are reluctant to reconcile with him, and do not believe that he is dying. Karl calls the family doctor. After having a last drink at a bar, K. Roth and Mills prepare for the wake.
The wake begins, with the entire film's cast in attendance. The wake is made up of dancing by K. Roth, a song performed by Mills called "If I Was Real," and a one-woman play performed by K. Roth called "Remembrance of Dawn." K. Roth's wake is interrupted by the arrival of his mother, Karl, and the family doctor, Dr. Schoenberg(Harlan Baker). They plead with him to stop the wake, describing it as another of his "episodes." K. Roth refuses, and the wake continues with K. Roth tying up loose ends, including revenge on his neighbor, Reginald, and the giving away of his possessions. Mills recites a poem about K. Roth.
The wake is again interrupted by the arrival of the ghost of Lampert Binew(Jim Gaffigan
), K. Roth's father. Though only K. Roth can see him, K. Roth proceeds to confront him in front of the audience about his abandonment. Lampert explains to him that he never abandoned him, and had simply died without leaving any trace. He tells K. Roth that there is no "equation for life," and therefore no monologue. With his time drawing near, K. Roth has an outburst, stating that he is a "stupid, drunk, scared, dying man." With encouragement from his father, K. Roth concludes his wake as only he could, with a song and dance. With the last words of the song, K. Roth's disease takes effect, and he collapses into an upright coffin. He is proclaimed dead. The members of the wake pay their final respects. A mourning Mills takes K. Roth's body to a pond, where he sets it ablaze as the film draws to a close.
began streaming The Living Wake.
in 2007 and the Audience Award for Narrative Feature at the Woodstock Film Festival
in 2007. It was the Official Selections for AFI Los Angeles in 2007, Marfa Film Festival
, Gen Art Chicago Film Festival and Off Camera Film Festival in Krakow, Poland. It has also won the Best Feature Film Award in 2008 at the Big Apple Film Festival
In 2008, Jesse Eisenberg
also won the Rising Star Award at the Vail Film Festival
.
Jesse Eisenberg
Jesse Adam Eisenberg is an American actor. He made his screen debut with the comedy-drama television series Get Real from 1999 to 2000...
, and Jim Gaffigan
Jim Gaffigan
James Christopher "Jim" Gaffigan is an American stand-up comedian and actor.-Early life:Gaffigan was born in Chesterton, Indiana and attended La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana. He is the youngest of six children and often jokes about growing up in a large family. He attended one year at...
.
Plot
In search for life's deepest mysteries, the story follows the journey of K. Roth Binew(Mike O'Connell), a self-proclaimed genius. After discovering that he has encountered a rare, unnamed, vaguely-defined but punctual terminal disease, he enlists his eccentric rickshaw-riding best and only friend Mills Joaquin(Jesse EisenbergJesse Eisenberg
Jesse Adam Eisenberg is an American actor. He made his screen debut with the comedy-drama television series Get Real from 1999 to 2000...
) on his final attempt and last day to live. Throughout the film, he attempts to find the meaning of life in "a brief, but powerful monologue" that his eccentric father had promised to tell him, but abandoned K. Roth before he could. This could be interpreted as K. Roth coming to peace with his father's abandonment.
K. Roth's final day begins with a confrontation with his neighbor and rival, Reginald(Eddie Pepitone), whom he invites to his living wake. With his friend Mills, he attempts to make his funeral arrangements, visits a "liquorsmith," and makes a goat sacrifice in order to appease Greek gods
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
. Believing that love is the meaning of life, K. Roth has a picnic with his former nanny, Marla(Diane Kagan), whom he describes as his true love. This fails, and after a brief romp with a prostitute(Colombe Jacobsen-Derstine), whom he also invites to his wake, K. Roth and Mills journey to the public library, where he tries to donate his entire works. When his books are deemed to be unfit for reading, K. Roth visits a psychic(Rebecca Comerford) in another attempt to find the meaning of life.
With his wake and death looming, K. Roth falls into a depression. He is revived when he chances upon a church, the members of which encourage him to reconnect with his family. His brother, Karl(Mark Schulte), and mother(Jill Larson
Jill Larson
Jill Larson is an American dramatic actress. She is most widely known for her portrayal of Opal Cortlandt on the popular daytime drama, All My Children, a role she has played for 22 years, garnering her 2 Emmy nominations...
)are reluctant to reconcile with him, and do not believe that he is dying. Karl calls the family doctor. After having a last drink at a bar, K. Roth and Mills prepare for the wake.
The wake begins, with the entire film's cast in attendance. The wake is made up of dancing by K. Roth, a song performed by Mills called "If I Was Real," and a one-woman play performed by K. Roth called "Remembrance of Dawn." K. Roth's wake is interrupted by the arrival of his mother, Karl, and the family doctor, Dr. Schoenberg(Harlan Baker). They plead with him to stop the wake, describing it as another of his "episodes." K. Roth refuses, and the wake continues with K. Roth tying up loose ends, including revenge on his neighbor, Reginald, and the giving away of his possessions. Mills recites a poem about K. Roth.
The wake is again interrupted by the arrival of the ghost of Lampert Binew(Jim Gaffigan
Jim Gaffigan
James Christopher "Jim" Gaffigan is an American stand-up comedian and actor.-Early life:Gaffigan was born in Chesterton, Indiana and attended La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana. He is the youngest of six children and often jokes about growing up in a large family. He attended one year at...
), K. Roth's father. Though only K. Roth can see him, K. Roth proceeds to confront him in front of the audience about his abandonment. Lampert explains to him that he never abandoned him, and had simply died without leaving any trace. He tells K. Roth that there is no "equation for life," and therefore no monologue. With his time drawing near, K. Roth has an outburst, stating that he is a "stupid, drunk, scared, dying man." With encouragement from his father, K. Roth concludes his wake as only he could, with a song and dance. With the last words of the song, K. Roth's disease takes effect, and he collapses into an upright coffin. He is proclaimed dead. The members of the wake pay their final respects. A mourning Mills takes K. Roth's body to a pond, where he sets it ablaze as the film draws to a close.
Cast
- Mike O'Connell as K. Roth Binew
- Jesse EisenbergJesse EisenbergJesse Adam Eisenberg is an American actor. He made his screen debut with the comedy-drama television series Get Real from 1999 to 2000...
as Mills Joaquin, best and only friend of K. Roth Binew - Jim GaffiganJim GaffiganJames Christopher "Jim" Gaffigan is an American stand-up comedian and actor.-Early life:Gaffigan was born in Chesterton, Indiana and attended La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana. He is the youngest of six children and often jokes about growing up in a large family. He attended one year at...
as Lampert Binew, K. Roth Binew's father - Ann DowdAnn DowdAnn Dowd is an American actress.She decided to become an actress while a premed student at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. She graduated in 1978 and went on to study at The Theatre School at DePaul University. In 1993 she won the Clarence Derwent Award for her performance...
as the Librarian - Eddie Pepitone as Reginald
- Jill LarsonJill LarsonJill Larson is an American dramatic actress. She is most widely known for her portrayal of Opal Cortlandt on the popular daytime drama, All My Children, a role she has played for 22 years, garnering her 2 Emmy nominations...
as Alma Binew - Clay Allen as Moustache Man
- Ami Ankin as Mother
- Harlan Baker as Dr. Schoenberg
- Bryan Brown as Frank
- Rebecca Comerford as Gypsy Psychic
- Matthew CowlesMatthew Cowles-Personal life:The son of actor and theatre producer Chandler Cowles, he was born in New York City.Since 1983 he has been married to actress Christine Baranski with whom he has two daughters, Isabel and Lily...
as Mossman
Release
A Mangusta Productions film, The Living Wake was completed in 2007 and shown at several film festivals around the states before being theatrically released in May 2010. In January 2011, HuluHulu
Hulu is a website and over-the-top subscription service offering ad-supported on-demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, webisodes and other new media, trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, and Obstacle on October 20th 2011 Nickelodeon and CBS and many other...
began streaming The Living Wake.
Awards
The film won the Comedic Vision Award at the Austin Film FestivalAustin Film Festival
The Austin Film Festival was started in 1994 in Austin, Texas and is claimed to be "the first organization of its kind to focus on the writer’s unique creative contribution to the film and television industries"...
in 2007 and the Audience Award for Narrative Feature at the Woodstock Film Festival
Woodstock Film Festival
The Woodstock Film Festival is an American film festival that was begun in 1999. The festival was first conceived as a part of the Woodstock '99 Music and Arts Festival, with movies being screened as part of that event.-History:...
in 2007. It was the Official Selections for AFI Los Angeles in 2007, Marfa Film Festival
Marfa Film Festival
The Marfa Film Fesival was a Film festival held in Marfa, Texas, celebrating contemporary and classic film, as well as hosting musical events, tours of the area, and various other art related activities. The first annual was held May 1–5. The second annual was held April 29 - May 3, 2009...
, Gen Art Chicago Film Festival and Off Camera Film Festival in Krakow, Poland. It has also won the Best Feature Film Award in 2008 at the Big Apple Film Festival
In 2008, Jesse Eisenberg
Jesse Eisenberg
Jesse Adam Eisenberg is an American actor. He made his screen debut with the comedy-drama television series Get Real from 1999 to 2000...
also won the Rising Star Award at the Vail Film Festival
Vail Film Festival
The Vail Film Festival is a four-day film festival that has taken place annually in late March or early April in Vail, Colorado since 2004. The 2011 Vail film festival took place March 31 - April 3 in Vail, Colorado...
.