Director: Sophia Takal
Writers: Sophia Takal (teleplay by), Adam Gaines (teleplay by)
Stars: Suki Waterhouse, Carly Chaikin, Kirby Howell-Baptiste
A group of old friends gather for a girl's night on New Years Eve. But as they begin to rehash old memories, many of the gripes they've been harboring manifest in murderous ways.
New Year, New You is a strong social commentary on social media and a relatable story about relationships. One of the overall strong points New Year, New You has, aside from its cultural relevance, is the way the violence and terror organically progresses. The pacing is natural and effortless as the girls slowly turn on one another, memories manifest, and hidden resentment reflects off each of their shallow surfaces. When the goading manipulation and passive aggressive bite of transgressions new and old finally mount with each tick towards midnight, New Year, New You rears its horror and spirals into a tense, bloody showdown.
I found New Year, New You to be quite interesting, and all four of the actresses turn in great performances. There were times when I started to wonder how this scenario could sustain the 84 minute running time, but Takal and Gaines pulled it off well, and the actresses made sure that I was always invested in seeing what was going to happen next.
