Jerrod Carmichael and Christopher Abbott do a high wire balancing act in tragicomic suicide bromance On the Count of Three, a movie that’s sure to leave viewers shaken and maybe just a bit disturbed, but nonetheless absolute certain of what Carmichael came to say.

Through bitingly thoughtful storytelling and morbid hilarity, Carmichael – who in addition to starring also wrote and directed the feature – expresses genuine interest in posing meaningful discussions about heavy topics like suicide, depression, racism, and abuse. And he serves it up with a potent elixir of jet black humor that helps make difficult topics that we have been grappling with as a nation more palatable and dare I say funny without ever trivializing or minimizing their role in our live. Though the challenging tone may sit better with some than others, I found it to be a remarkable debut from a distinct and distinctly farcical voice.

It all starts with Val (Carmichael) and Kevin (Abbott) pointing handguns at each other’s heads. Depressed and prepared to shuffle off the mortal coil, they’ve sworn to pull the trigger on the count of three. Mutually assured destruction means the lifelong besties will be able to go out together and leave behind the wreckage of two not-so-great lives.

But before they commit to ending it all, Val and Kevin decide to live one last good day which brings them face-to-face with the many past demons that haunt their presents to this day.

As a writer, Carmichael makes liberal use of gallows humor, finding the funny in the macabre. Joined by a supporting cast that puts typically comedic actors in serious roles (Tiffany Haddish, J.B. Smoove, and Henry Winkler all go straight-faced) allows Carmichael’s sporadic unleashing of dark humor to really zing.

As two guys with guns hitting rock bottom, Carmichael and Abbott are just dynamite. Under a tangle of bleached hair, the often straight-laced Abbott is unleashed to go hog wild; his performance is reminiscent of Robert Pattinson’s masterfully unhinged turn in Good Time if Good Time had a sense of humor. Carmichael is the heart and soul of the movie though and though he has a loyal fan base, this was my first time encountering his work and I am decidedly a fan.

Through the dynamic of their pairing, On the Count of Three takes circumstance that aren’t inherently funny (a convenience store robbery) or heartwarming (a shooting) and make it so. As their disinterest in the law accelerates, Val and Kevin find themselves in increasingly more dire straights. Though they’ve agreed that today is their last, the last thing you want to see is their beautifully broken bromance put to rest.

CONCLUSION: A jet black comedy-drama with serious issues on its mind, ‘On the Count of Three’ finds morbid humor and grave sentiment in a pair of besties with a suicide pact. Christopher Abbott is as good as he’s ever been.