Happy New Year, Colin Burstead (Ben Wheatley, 2018)

Did anyone know this was a thing? I am going to a festival in Montreal next month and this was the one title that totally surprised me. I didn't know he had anything near finished.

Festival Synopsis:

A family gathers for New Year’s Eve. Ben Wheatley (High Rise, A Field in England), the dark and twisted director who’s helping put English cinema back on the map, serves up his answer to The Celebration, but his version moves at the feverish pace of an action film. As things get ugly, Wheatley turns English-style drama on its head with tension at every turn and biting black humour. At first, you may think you’ve seen it all before (and far too many times at that), but you end up with something you never saw coming. Wheatley is truly at the top of his game, as is leading man Sam Riley (Control), who delivers yet another standout performance.

 

Wow, had no idea he had something new on the horizon. So excited!

 

It’s really quite good! Probably the most low key and stripped down film he’s made, conceptually. But the chemistry between these (mostly awful) characters really carries the film. There’s something painfully close to me about watching films about obnoxious family gatherings, and this definitely ranks among the better examples of that type of film.

 

Surely it can't be as good as It's Only the End of the World...

 

Very much a different film haha.

(PS, it’s been over two years since I saw that film, twice in one week, and I still don’t know how I feel about it)

 

I was trying to be funny because I thought you hated it for some reason! I remember feeling pretty ambivalent about it but I've felt the urge to revisit it lately, probably will soon

Anyways, glad to hear this is good. Love that Wheatley changes it up so often, never really know what to expect from him and this sounds like it'll continue that trend

 

Guess this is out there. As good a day as any for y'all to watch it.

 

I absolutely loved this, instantly my second favorite Wheatley. It was a lot funnier than I expected which was a nice surprise.