Happy New Year, Colin Burstead

Giving off The Big Chill/ Peter's Friends vibes which is somewhat overdone, however I enjoyed this film. Team Fran, she knows what's up.

Reminded me of "Festen" but not as good.

A hyperreal family drama that doesn't pull any punches but is frustratingly lacking in catharsis. Makes one wonder what the point of watching shitty people bitch at each other is if there's no additional artistic commentary. May as well just sneak into a family reunion instead. A potentially great movie defeated by its own unflinching restraint.

Wheatley is improving with how much he can get out of just one location filled with actors (spouting bitter and snarky dialogue). Now he's distilled this into his funniest film yet, with the dialogue clearly more jokey than before, but everything still grounded in a realistic docu-drama fashion. With all the tethers of these families and friends (and ex lovers) wriggling around, the film ultimately comes to a stop rather than concludes (though leads into an excellent, yet mournful end credits).

Saga of a frosty family reunion goes nowhere already trodden by THE BIG CHILL and its imitators, but distinguishes itself with a unique British mumblecore sensibility and a terrific cast who capture the at times chillingly familiar dynamics of unspoken wounds and bubbling resentments which can underpin the worst of such gatherings! Interesting and heartening that an aspect of Dance's character which would have been a harped on as a 'quirk' in years past is merely accepted with minimal fanfare.