Sneak Preview of “Happy New Year”

War is hard, and sometimes coming home is even harder. K. Lorrel Manning’s film, “Happy New Year,” is the fictionalized story of Sgt. Cole Lewis, a marine who returns from Iraq paralyzed. Without available beds in the Veteran’s Hospital, Lewis is assigned to the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder wing of the under-staffed, rundown hospital. After initial anger about being housed in the “crazy” wing, Lewis begins to bond with his fellow veterans as he struggles to attempt to walk again. Michael Cuomo seems to put his heart and soul into his role as lead actor, a compelling performance likely fueled by that fact that he wrote the co-story.

K. Lorrel Manning’s film brings to the screen so many of the issues faced by veterans after the war. Not only does the film portray the difficulties that veterans have adjusting, but also the difficulties of their loved ones who are largely absent from the film. Lewis finds himself being forgotten by the woman he loves and the father who now seems to view his disabled son as less of a man. Even the hospital staff seems to forget to care about the patients, with the exception of one interning nurse whose compassion leads her to cross all sorts of boundaries. Cole’s relationship with his nurse and fellow patients adds a light-hearted element to a heavy film.

Setting this film in the PTSD wing of the hospital enables the viewer to see the many different faces of this disorder that afflicts so many veterans returning home. The symptoms of PTSD are expertly conveyed in the film. As the veterans experience a tumult of emotions -- shame, hurt, disappointment, survivor’s guilt, hope and hopelessness – so does the viewer.. As Sgt. Lewis’ mother and buddies visit to comfort him in his worst moments, it is Sgt. Lewis who disconnects from his own feelings in order to caretake those around him. Although the story is fictionalized, it carries a message with many truths – the realities of what it means to be a veteran and a man.

With an excellent cast and a perfectly matched soundtrack that had me at “hello,” this film is well worth watching. “Happy New Year” will be shown at the Sarasota Film Festival on Tuesday, April 12@5:30pm and Wednesday, April 13@6:00pm.

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