Movie Review by Nigel A. Messenger
Starring: Andrew Lee Potts, Bobby Barry, Sue Johnston, Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Director: Suri Krishnamma
A group of high school teenagers go on a school skiing trip. Disaster strikes and there is a fatal accident leaving only two survivors, Jake (Andrew Lee Potts) and Steven (Bobby Barry). Jake and Steven make a pact to do several outrageous things over the course of the following year including crashing a car and robbing a bank etc.
Aside from the depressing start to the story the premise sounds like it could make quite an exciting story right? Wrong! It makes a bleak and depressing story dwelling on the macabre, sad and depressing elements of life.
The film tries so hard to get inside the minds of these two young men who have of course been severely traumatised at the loss of all their friends in the accident that it totally deadens the idea of following the extreme activities described above. It’s almost like watching a social documentary about how bad things can be rather than a fictional drama.
Both Bobby Barry and Andrew Lee Potts turn in fine performances, it’s the story and direction that make this so depressing. To top it all off the film is set against a background of dreary British weather to lower the mood even more – if that were possible.
Once again the British film industry manages to turn out yet another bleak, depressing but oh so socially conscious film.
Appeal to the world’s movie goers? I doubt it would even appeal to the British movie audience who watch entertaining, imaginative and exciting American movies just like anyone else.
