4 out of 4 stars ****
Gay cinema is often times trashy and far too campy for my tastes. They consist mostly of comedies and spoofs, or angsty gay teen populated sex films. Yes, there are the Brokeback Mountains, Milks, and A Single Mans of the cinema world, but they are few and far between and have significant amounts of money poured into them from auteur artists. It is very seldom that a gay themed indie film can truly break out and offer some insights into the lives of real gay people. Weekend is such a film, and it is a truly staggering achievement. It’s the kind of film that anyone could have made, but no one had. It took sophomore film director and screenwriter Andrew Haigh, stage actors Tom Cullen and Chris New, and a shoestring budget of about $120,000 dollars to make a simple, honest, and devastating look at modern gay life. Weekend succeeds because of its sharp screenplay, no nonsense directing, and it’s affectionate portrayal of two young men trying to find their way in the world.
The plot of Weekend is fairly straightforward. Russell (Tom Cullen) picks up Glen (Chris New) at a gay bar one night after a party and what looks to be a one-night stand ends up turning into much more. The scenario is not what’s important here, but rather it is the truths that are discovered along the way. Weekend brings up various issues such as the hardships of coming out, people’s hidden fears of all things gay (especially sex), and simply trying to figure out who it is you are supposed to be in this world. All of this is done through beautifully written dialogue that is not self important or preachy. Cullen and New have such a natural chemistry on screen together that all of their conversations feel organic and very much in the moment. What’s so wonderful about the film is that is so accurately portrays two people discovering each other and potentially falling in love in a short amount of time. The film's title comes from the fact that Glen is moving away and all he and Russell will share together is this one weekend. There is a wonderful moment in the film, which perfectly describes the events unfolding before us, when Glen states that the best part of meeting someone for the first time is that they are a blank canvas and you can project who you want to be on them. That is essentially what Weekend is from the beginning and by the end it’s a rich landscape of emotional truths.
Something that took me by surprise with Weekend is that it is very frank about sex and is not afraid to depict gay sex on screen. This may seem rather minor, but if you think back to many gay sex scenes in even the most acclaimed films they are rather shy about it all. Weekend depicts what really happens when two men have sex, but it is never in a pornographic way. It really isn’t anymore graphic than what you might see in a regular Hollywood film with two heterosexuals. But it reminded me how reserved most gay films have to be when confronting their own subjects. Not here. Something else that took me by surprise was the films blatant and abundant use of alcohol and drugs. The film isn’t passing a judgment on it's characters, but actually being honest about its use and some of its effects. Weekend comes off as a bit of a documentary in both the way it is shot and the realistic way in which is treats its ideas.
Even through it’s portrayal of the facts and hardships of gay life it would be wrong to label Weekend as a purely gay film. There are many facts and subjects tackled within the film that are germane to human beings no matter what your sexuality. Weekend may be many things, but it is, most importantly of all, a beautiful love story about two people coming together and discovering who they are. The ending of the film left me awash in tears because it does not placate it’s audience or subscribes to the Hollywood fantasy ending of a romance. You know exactly where Weekend is heading as soon as Glen tells Russell that he will be leaving, but that doesn’t make the journey traveled any less rewarding. Weekend is one of the best films of the year and one that any lover of independent cinema should seek out. It deserves the highest accolades and should be in serious awards contention. Unfortunately, films like this often don’t find artistic homes and are put away on shelves in video store ghettos. With this film we are witnessing the emergence of a new voice in cinema through Andrew Haigh. Don’t let it go to waste. See Weekend, it will be well worth your time.
Weekend
Directed by Andrew Haigh
Release Date: September 23, 2011
Runtime: 97 mins
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