Happy New Year

I recently saw this film at the Quad Cinema in New York and I have to say that it moved me to tears. This may not be the first film made about the difficulties of combat and life afterward, but it is the first that I have seen to avoid all of the clichés that have become associated with this subject matter. Happy New Year, while sometimes painful to watch, is true to itself all the way through.

The performances are excellent and create such a realism that you can't help but come away with a fresh take on our post-combat treatment of soldiers. K. Lorrel Manning's direction is precise, uncompromising and never steers toward sentimentality. And you won't be able to stop thinking about it after it's over.

I highly recommend this film, however, viewers should keep in mind, though, that this is not a war movie. It is a movie about what happens after one survives war.