Shut Up and Shoot Me

As directed and scripted by Steen Agro, the pitch-black, deadpan Czech comedy Shut up and Shoot Me (AKA Sklapni A Zastrel Me, 2005) follows the plight of poor Colin Frampton (Andy Nyman) a chubby and anal British everyman on holiday in Prague with his comely young wife, Maggie (Klara Low. Disaster hits when Maggie is crushed to death by a massive statue, effectively ruining Colin's life forever; the hotel thoughtfully assigns a local Czechoslovakian driver, Pavel Zeman (Karel Roden) to ease Frampton's stress by chauffeuring Colin to the morgue. Yet Pavel - ere a browbeaten husband, forced by his vexing wife to take random jobs that will fund her shopping expeditions - is every bit as embittered and unhappy as Colin. When Colin informs Pavel that he wishes to die, and asks his new friend to do the honors, Pavel sympathetically agrees - but can't quite see the task through to fruition. The corpses accumulate, but none belong to Colin - and soon, the pair become involved with the nefarious doings of local mobster Karel Karlovic (Robert Polo). Agro crafted his film in the mold of Buddy, Buddy, Throw Momma from the Train and The End, but distinguished himself by upping the absurdist quotient into hyperdrive and reaching an almost surreal level.