British comedy drama HAPPY NEW YEAR, COLIN BURSTEAD has been written, directed and edited by acclaimed filmmaker Ben Wheatley.
The film revolves around stressed forty-something Colin Burstead, who hires a lavish country manor for his extended family to celebrate New Year. What follows, is a hilarious build-up of family tensions that come to a head over the course of one unforgettable evening.
With exceptional performances from a star-studded ensemble cast, who contributed to the script throughout the filmmaking process, The film stars Neil Maskell (Kill List, Utopia), Sam Riley (Control), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), Bill Paterson (Fleabag), Hayley Squires (I, Daniel Blake) and Doon Mackichan (Good Omens).
When Colin Burstead (Neil Maskell) hires a heritage mansion for a New Year’s Eve party for his extended family and various hangers-on, the scene is set for an eventful evening of family dysfunction. Colin’s mother Sandy (Doon Mackichan) – the family’s matriarch – dramatically injures her ankle before she has even crossed the manor house’s threshold.
Her indebted husband Gordon (Bill Paterson) is desperately trying to secure a life-saving loan that Colin simply will not grant him. Uncle Bertie (Charles Dance) is secretly ill, and knows this might be his last time seeing the clan all together. Meanwhile, self-deceiving Sham (Asim Chaudhry) has gate crashed the party in the hope of winning back his ex-girlfriend Lainey (Sinead Matthews), who is doing the catering.
All these little tensions and dramas are overshadowed by the return of Colin’s black sheep brother David (Sam Riley) to the family fold, after an absence of five years. Invited by Colin’s sister Gini (Hayley Squires), as a surprise for Sandy, David immediately finds himself less than welcome – but over the course of the evening, his presence will shift the family’s power dynamics.
The film marks Ben Wheatley’s return to a tight relationship drama, similar to his debut feature Down Terrace, but without the genre elements. Wheatley comments “The duality of characters just loving and hating each other equally, that is something I don’t see enough of in drama. It’s usually much more binary than that: people hate each other or love each other; they never do both at the same time.”
HAPPY NEW YEAR, COLIN BURSTEAD screened to audiences at the 2019 Sydney Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival and British Film Festival.
The film will release nationally on Thursday 19th March, 2020.In Sydney the film will screen at the Hayden Orpheum and Randwick Ritz cinemas.
Sydney Arts Guide has five in season double passes to give away to HAPPY NEW YEAR, COLIN BURSTEAD. To win one of the double passes email editor.sydneyartsguide@gmail.com.with Happy New Year, Colin Burstead Promotion in the subject heading and your postal address in the body of your email. Winners will be advised by email.