Weekend (2011) Reviews

• The rare film about falling in love that gets to the heart of the matter

  Boris_Day2011-10-31

  There are countless films about people falling in love, but when you see Weekend you realise just how rare films are that make a sincere attempt to catch what it really is like to fall for someone, without sentimentality, forced cuteness or cheap emotional manipulation. This is the rare love story that has real emotional truth about it. The fact that it is about two men who fall for each other is almost secondary to the way the film catches the universality of what it is like to fall in love. Weekend is not about exceptional people, just about two average, if smart and likable men, tentatively getting close to each other and it catches lightning in a bottle. This is not to play down the importance of Weekend as a gay film. Gay issues are touched upon and some good political points are made about gay men in todays society, but it's never in a didactic way. Nothing here feels forced, there is a naturalness about the acting and dialogue, real chemistry between the two leads and a sense of lightness about the filmmaking that yet never feels trivial. Weekend catches the little moments of life beautifully and it finds beauty in the everyday. The acting here is simply amazing from both leads but Tom Cullen as the more quiet, introverted Russell has a touching vulnerability about him and gives what I would regard as the best performance of the year by a male actor. It's all there in tiny details, there is never a moment when you don't utterly believe what goes on in his heart, it's all there in his eyes and the most subtle shifts of expression. No doubt this performance will be overlooked in favour of more histrionic turns this year, but this is what truly great screen acting is about. I think I fell a little bit in love with him myself.

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• This is the best low budget indie gay movie in years, and the best gay movie since BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

  aupairkansas2011-09-18

  I just watched WEEKEND at a screening at the Oslo LGBT film festival, and am still in shock. This is the most real cinematic version of guys falling in love in recent history. I'm a filmmaker myself, and was blown away by the caliber of the writing, directing, acting, cinematography, editing, and music of this fantastic film. There's not a false note in the movie--everything rings true, even the ending (no spoilers here.) It's the rare film, like WINTER'S BONE last year, that at every turning point takes what I call the elegant decision. WEEKEND is at a higher level than all other LGBT films playing the festival circuit this year (the only other film near this level is Tom Twyker's 3.) Actually, it's at a higher level than almost all films playing anywhere this year. Where did this film come from? Apparently the brilliant mind of Andrew Haigh (writer/director/editor), who, I noted on an IMDb search, started as an apprentice editor on GLADIATOR, and then assistant editor on BLACK HAWK DOWN (working with the master editor Pietro Scalia on both. Go UCLA!) I look forward to seeing more of Haigh's work. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT miss this movie.

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• This is a love story. It is not cheesy. It is not fake. It is love, plain and simple. Let go of your prejudices and bias and watch the film.

  c-chesley2011-11-07

  The IMDb summary of the film does it no justice whatsoever. This piece of art depicted the most genuine and sincere definition of love in any motion picture that I have seen. Besides the fact that the script was well-written, the actors carried the story to fruition in their slightest of gestures, glances, and articulations. You really fall in love with Glen and Russell and want them to be with each other. There are parts where you'll laugh, parts where you might tear up, and parts where you might wonder if you've ever felt what these characters feel for each other. There are some wonderful scenes cinematically as well. The ending is satisfying and resonant of real life, which is a nice change of pace when compared to other love stories. This is the movie that you should see, and I hope you will.

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• Perfect chemistry

  Benedict_Cumberbatch2012-01-01

  I watched this film after a friend highly recommended it. The gay film festivals and critics' awards and nominations it's been getting are much deserved. Russell (Tom Cullen), a young gay man in Nottingham, UK, picks up Glen (Chris New) at a nightclub. They have a one-night stand but realize they share much more than animal attraction. They spend a weekend together trying to figure out whether or not they can turn this into something "concrete". "Weekend" is part of the 'brief encounter' subgenre I am a big fan of. It's a 'talkie' for excellence; if you love films like "Lost In Translation", "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset", you'll probably be smitten by this as well. A naturalistic approach to filmmaking - especially to such a dialogue-driven narrative like this - is very hard to pull off; but writer/director/editor Andrew Haigh knows how to create sparks. Special kudos go to the excellent protagonists, Tom Cullen and Chris New, whose on-screen chemistry is palpable, moving, and simply a pleasure to watch. This is a weekend you shouldn't sleep through.

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• Simply wonderful

  jemoliver2011-11-04

  Just back from seeing Weekend at a mainstream cinema in London and simply wanted to say that the other reviewers here have hit the nail on the head perfectly. This film is literally flawless - so real, so well acted, naturalistic dialogue spoken utterly naturally. It captured my 20s in a bottle. Thank you to all involved. I'd forgotten cinema could be this fantastic. I liked the fact that the film's location was kept anonymous - most appropriate, given that the film was so accurately observed and depicted that it could have been about many of my friends, all over the UK. Some excellent cinematography too - lingering shots of a normal British city, captured at sunset/mid-afternoon/anytime, worked well at keeping the pace reflective. Finally, the moments of passion were handled sensitively, but, again, so realistically. One particularly stunning moment was the cut away and sudden fast forward to the morning - somehow capturing instantly the bleak moment that follows ecstasy, but doing it in a non-showy way. I will be watching for more of Andrew Haigh's work.

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