New Year's Day (2000) Online

Anyone who has ever wondered what teenagers would get up to if they were freed from any obligations to their future will find New Year's Day quiet an interesting little morsel. A psychologist's dream study, it's also a rather effective film. MP's son Steven and under-privileged Jake are best friends at school. The desperation of each others parents, the 16-year-olds even have their own language. When they go on a school Christmas skiing trip, it's a great adventure. But it turns quickly to tragedy when on the first day the group of 11 friends is hit by an avalanche, and Jake and Steve are the only survivors. Returning to England, the pair are swamped in the emotion of a grieving town and a mass funeral (a particularly hard-hitting scene sees a long line of coffins on their way to the grave). As the townsfolk try to come to terms with the loss, Jake and Steven feel separated from everyone - that they should have died in the avalanche as well. So near the start of the film, on New Year's Day, we find Jake and Steve on a clifftop, ready to jump to their deaths - then deciding to live another year, to do the things they dreamed of doing. To cheat fate for a year. And so the film sets off apace, with the pair on a plan to rob a bank, burning down buildings, perform surgery, and so on. Director Suri Krishnamma sets the pace well, with the lads' exploits starting off in high spirits but slowly, uncomfortably, taking a darker turn. The two leads Andrew Lee Potts (Jake) and Bobby Barry (Steven) are both excellent, giving their characters a real sense of depth and direction. On the other hand, the ancillary characters are never really developed, and the film falters particularly in the uneasy sections with counsellor Geraldine (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), who doesn't quite hit the right note as a social worker. On the whole though, this is a well filmed piece of work - emotional and dramatic.

...this is a film with a great deal of raw quality.

Two adolescent friends - one with all life's supposed headstarts, the other burdened with a shedload of reality - share a common battle to face up to their personal tragedy.

The interactions between the leads are well acted, but strangely in keeping with their social differences, the strongest empathy with each is possible when seen acting without the other.

An extremely strong film visually and probably best seen if you've just had a really s***ty day yourself. Welcome to the real world!

9/10

PS Great soundtrack...

I saw this film at a student screening at the Duke Of Yorks in Brighton...i was incredibly impressed. The plot is well thought out if a little cluttered and the screenplay creates two believable teenage characters. Not the stereotypes that often appear in cinema. The makers also avoided the 'gritty realism' angle so often favoured by British independent film makers.

The cinematography is beautiful and no time is wasted trying to justify the two characters actions. Audiences are left to make up their own minds about the moral implications and justifications of the 'tasks'. And crucially..a happy ending is avoided without making the audience leave the cinema depressed.

Some criticisms can be levelled at New Years Day, the plot is cluttered, and budget limitations mean the first 20 minutes are annoyingly difficult follow..and the fake snow is blatantly fake. The characters Jake and Steven spend the film mourning are not sufficiently created to allow for real sympathy for them. The ending is also weird although it is hard find a better way to conclude and after listening to the directors justifications I am inclined to agree that this is the best way to end.

All in all a superb British film that avoids the costume drama and gritty realism cliches in favour of an entertaining plot that makes you think. SOMEONE PUTS THIS FILM ON COMMERCIAL RELEASE...THE PUBLIC NEEDS IT!!!

I saw this film at the Sundance film festival, and it was fantastic! Two teenagers who decide to kill themselves on new years day (one year away), decide to spend their last year living out their friends dreams (their friends had recently died). They rob a bank, burn down the school, perform surgery, and do many other things. The film was deeply emotional, highly dramatic, and incredibly entertaining. Certainly worth seeing

There may be a halfway decent film trying to wriggle out of this mess, but as with another British disaster movie (of the unintentional kind), Crush, this film is killed by a ropy screenplay and some horribly two-dimensional characterisation. Michael Kitchen is a fine actor, but his performance here as Stephen's father is just shocking; he could probably drag the scriptwriter down the plughole with him, but either way he is not going to be a movie star if this is the sort of project he gets saddled with. Marianne Jean-Baptiste (another fine actor - when is she going to get another part as good as Secrets & Lies?) is quite unconvincing as a counsellor, in a seriously underwritten part, pretty much the only kind there is in this film apart from the two leads.

As to the two main roles, they have a few good moments, but are asked to make us believe the implausible and the indefensible by the script. The "operation" scene is laughable, which perhaps was the idea, although I would have thought we are supposed to be laughing at the horror of it all, not at the ludicrousness of the action. And when it came to the drug scenes, I confess I eventually had to fast forward through them, so embarrassing were they.

"Crush", incidentally, was almost called "The Sad Fuckers Club"; I'm sure that it was in the task of sanitising it for our protection that a good idea turned into a terrible film. I wonder if this film had a similar working title...

I enjoyed the movie. These rebellious teenagers remind me of many I know. I appreciated the movie because they at least had an excuse for their quest. I've seen the movie three times and I haven't gotten bored once which is strange because most movies bore me the first time I watch them. I'd say that if you aren't open-minded don't bother watching it if you're anything like my friend you'll find it offensive. If you're looking for an adventure which actually has a point - WATCH IT!

MAJOR SPOILERS

To those who say the English don't make good films have obviously been watching the wrong films!

So this tale of two teenage boys who make a suicide pact after their classmates are killed on a skiing trip and they are the only two survivors is not original. It's been done before and many a time.

Yet the way Suri Krishnamma has done it is subtle and original. It's a nice take that the suicide pact involves "A Book of Life"- An affirming set of tasks to carry out before they can commit suicide. It's the dreams and desires of their dead friends that they must carry out ranging from punching a policeman to burning down the school.

To say this is an epic tale of courage, friendship, yada, yada would be more fitting on a drizzling Hollywood Blockbuster. This far surpasses mere words - unlike Hollywood it doesn't make everything explicit, it doesn't treat the audience as if they had an IQ of under 80 and it's not in your face.

For instance the last task "to understand, to mean what I say, to cherish my friends" before the two main characters jump over the cliff, can be taken in so many ways... they survive, it's true, and the film becomes not so much a story about death but a story about life.

The relationship is unusual... Jake is the one who outwardly seems to be getting along well and tries to stop Steven from continuing the suicide pact but it is he who wants death more than anything. Steven is in many respects the opposite.

And it is Jake who manages to fulfill his own suggested task of crashing a car. Steven's wish was to "kill somebody or something" - this may be something he said just to personify himself/ to mask himself in his own representation. But it's not really who Steven is; at the best of times he is an enigmatic and puzzling character and yet when it comes to killing an animal, he can't even fulfill his own dream. Make of it what you will for it can be taken in many ways, BUT it is never thrown in your face.

For those who haven't seen the film, my ineloquence may just confuse you (even though I could keep going another couple of thousand words). This is an engaging story, realistic, and full of emotion.

And it affects people in different ways and will affect you in a different way every time you see it because it does not steer you down a narrow path of "this is how the movie goes; this is the emotions I want you to feel" as directors often have that manipulative power over their audience. It lets you take it the way you want.

An unappreciated classic. A heartfelt story of friendship - kind of like a British Stand By Me.

Carefully crafted and full of passion.

Boasts a truly brilliant cast, including the great Sue Johnston, Ralph Brown, Michael Kitchen and Marianne Jean-Baptiste.

Loved the soundtrack as well.

Shouldn't ignore the sterling background performance of a young Kerry Ross either. I always thought she'd go on to win an Oscar as she had a touch of the Audrey Hepburn about her. An unfulfilled acting talent.

Always hoped there would be a sequel. Alas, it was never meant to be...

This film really deserves to be seen by the general public! I was really impressed, because I didn't really know what to expect of it. But I was thrilled! Great actors, an interesting, original story (although it sometimes reminded me of other British movies, like e.g. A Clockwork Orange and Beautiful Thing, but those were also great!). It's just a very fine and well directed piece of cinema! I also liked the music very much! I hope it finds a public!

I originally found this in the queer section of a shop ( I think the management could use a little guidance, as they placed GET REAL alphabetically in general circulation. Actually, New Year's Day at its core is about two very tight school mates who try to deal with being the only two survivors following a horrible avalanche that claims everyone else on a holiday school trip.

I understand that some viewers might find this film a little plodding, and others will see the principal characters as simple hooligans checking off their list of twisted chores in their 'book of life'. There's room for opinion here,except that which maintains the two boys don't care for each other. Probably the most memorable line spoken is when Jake tells Stephen, and I paraphrase, ' i saved your life before. I'm not prepared to help you die, now'. I hope viewers will take a chance on this film, if only to watch that scene.

The writer has taken a good plot and completely messed it up. The dialogue between the two lead teen characters seems completely unrealistic and god help anyone that has to watch any other film starring the posh kid. He just can't act. This film was totally un-gripping, the relationship between the audience and the characters didn't exist. Anyone who likes space movies should see this film, it's completely lacking in atmosphere. The real question you will ask yourself at the end of the film is whether you should commit suicide for enduring this ****.

Pretentious teenage angst-w**k - that which is not utterly predictable is utterly nonsensical. Acting, Direction, Editing appalling, Dialog & Plot little better. Avoid unless you are a 16 with your head up your own colon...

Having read the comment by 'sb' on IMDb.com - I felt compelled to respond... I actually thoroughly enjoyed New Years Day. Andrew Lee Potts and Bobby Barry are brilliant - EXACTLY what teenagers of that age are like. From a teenagers point of view, the film works - the only failure is that it was rated 18 - which means it doesn't have the chance to 'officially' reach the target audience. The idea was original, and the location, BEAUTIFUL (slightly bias opinion perhaps, coming from the Isle of Wight) The film, for me, was evocative. It's in my top 10. It was honest, and real, and different - I think maybe nonconforming is a word that springs to mind... but it is hard to explain. Perhaps areas could have been more adventurous and artistic in direction, to be consistent with the theme... but nonetheless it is a film I could watch over and over again. Well done, and thank you to Suri Krishnamma, Andrew Lee Potts, Bobby Barry, Sue Johnston, and everyone else - for me, you made the film like a time capsule - reminding me of school times on the Isle of Wight. I hope I am able to do the same with my films... People - watch it!

Despite a rather wooden performance from the lad playing one of the lead characters (Stephen), this was unexpectedly excellent. I say this, as the publicity blurb did not prepare me for a very well made, well acted, well observed, understated little gem. It's definitely not a cliched teen movie. I really cared about the main character and did not predict any of the plot. Very enjoyable. I'll be watching for the writer and director again. And I'll be very surprised if there's not a real future for Andrew Lee Potts.

I picked this film up on impulse and was pleased to find it much better than I had expected. It is far from perfect but the script and acting are both very good, there are some great comic moments and the small budget is only noticeable occasionally.

Well worth watching.

I know the summary sounded harsh but it's true.

I got the film out of the video shop without knowing anything about it. The idea of the story sounded interesting (and it is) but it was handed horribly

They kill off the main cast early on (the only interesting bit of the film) and for an hour and a half you're left watching two pathetic losers. They hate each other and have nothing in common but somehow they're friends. One is a cliche poor boy who's family love him, the other is obscenely rich and his family ignore him. That's original!

There is no reason for why they're really doing all of this and by the first ten minutes you really don't care. You wish that new year's day would come quicker so that they can just kill themselves and get it over with. And the twist...made me want to vomit! What an awful pay off for an awful film.

badly directed, acted and written. It's like one big in-joke that you don't get. It's not even so bad it's funny, like a steven seagal movie, it's just bad. Save your money!

The connection with Peter Weir's "Fearless" is obvious at least as far the beginning is concerned.Surviving a disaster (a plane wreck in "fearless" ,an avalanche in "New Year's day" is not an easy thing to do.The scene with the two boys on the cliff recalls more Jeff Bridges on the top of the building than James Dean and his pack in "rebel without a cause" .

Whereas Weir's hero tries to live again,the two youngsters of the English film are no longer able to find a reason to carry on.So they draw up a list of things to do before jumping into the void.Some are horrible,some are very common:but Bridge's behavior did not make much sense either.The movie is not thoroughly convincing though because the director hesitates between realism and fantasy.

Besides ,the parents' attitude is irresponsible:after their boys set their school on fire ,why don't they think of a serious therapy?Their characters are too sketchy: and one of them is played by none other than Jacqueline Bisset.