film review: weekend
Weekend is the story of Russell (Tom Cullen) and the two days he spends with Glen (Chris New), a man he brings home from a London gay bar one night. During their short time together, Russell and Glen learn a lot about each other’s sexuality, experiences with coming out and past relationships. While their ideas and experiences clash on many of these topics, a connection forms quickly, and it seems like each has something to offer that the other might want.
In one of their many chats, Glen suggests to Russell that while heterosexual sex and romance are everywhere in movies and are freely talked about, society expects homosexual love or lust to be more discreet. Weekend is a movie that challenges this idea, portraying a gay romantic storyline with sex scenes, while leaving stereotypes behind.
The film creates a story that seems less like a typical movie and more like a camera simply following a guy around for a few days, which makes the characters and their lives seem very real. The footage is shaky at times and the crowds around the central characters are often in the way of the action. This gives the impression that Russell and Glen are less like fictional movie characters and more like two average people whose story just happens to be told through a movie.
There’s also very little music, which is quite noticeable as many movies would simply not be the same without their soundtrack. At first, this approach seems like it may be just a bit too arty and rather dull, but once the film gets going, the relative silence becomes more intriguing. Despite the fact that all this is probably just as manufactured as Hollywood movies are, it manages to seem convincingly natural.
Both lead characters are very engaging. They contrast each other in many ways, which is what makes simply watching their conversations so interesting. Despite the slow start, Weekend is worth a look for its honest screenplay, likable leads and especially for the sweet ending that brings the weekend to a close.
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