One of the very few productions to emerge from the wreckage of Alchymie, the company praised by then Culture Secretary Chris Smith, which collapsed ignominiously shortly after its launch, this is that rare beast, a British high-concept teen movie that would have been far better suited to a small Hollywood studio.
Following a catastrophic avalanche during a school skiing trip in the French Alps, best friends Jake (Andrew Lee Potts) and Steven (Bobby Barry) are the only survivors.
Severely traumatised by their experience and the loss of their friends, they construct an elaborate suicide pact that involves them performing 12 tasks throughout the year before killing themselves on the following New Year?s Day.
While undergoing counselling from the achingly empathetic Veronica (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) they set fire to the school, punch a policeman, rob a bank, take a cocktail of drugs and much more.
The question the film raises is whether their trauma precipitates their sociopathic behaviour or simply acts as an excuse for their natural-born delinquency. The answer is: who cares?
New Year's Day
Cert: certPG
