How do you feel about "New Year's Day" on the eve of its release?
I'm really pleased it's coming out. Various legal and financial matters almost conspired to bury the film. I'm a bit miffed at the 18 certificate. We offered to cut the heroin injection scene but were told it was being certified for the overall tone of the film, which is bizarre. It's a film about 16-year-old kids that 16-year-olds aren't going to be able to see.
This is an accomplished first screenplay, in terms of the depth of all the characters and especially the realism afforded both of the leads in their most unusual predicament. Any guidelines you set yourself to achieve those aims?
Not really, it came straight from the heart. We have worked the script a lot. The first draft was finished in 1995, and we've gone through about 16 rewrites. It always opened with the same basic idea and finished with the same scene. I saw the film again the other week and it struck me as very young writing, but I'm still very proud of it.
Suri Krishnamma's direction elicits a macabre comedy that complements the darker elements of the script. Did you have Suri in mind to direct?
Yes, I did. I've known Suri for 10 years. We come from a south coast single parent background. We both had similar experiences of knowing people who'd attempted and committed suicide, so we were able to connect on an emotional level. I think he gets the most out of this story.
