Weekend

A mix between mumblecore in its weak production values and Richard Linklater's MY DINNER WITH ANDRE-esque weak BEFORE SUNSET films, Andrew Haigh's WEEKEND is essentially a two person drama. This is set off by Russell (Tom Cullen), who finds Glen (Chris New) at a gay bar. They have sex, and in the morning Russell makes coffee and Glen has him talk about their experience together on a tape recorder. Already what should have been a one-night stand has lasted longer than either men thought it would, and, inevitably, the two spend most of the following weekend together. Both seem to live pretty mundane lives. Russell's a lifeguard who smokes a ton of weed, and Glen's an "artist" who talks in a "have you ever noticed ___" style. What WEEKEND exemplifies though, is what its kind of approach requires in order to be good. The sex-talk and habits shown are interesting, but they are far from deep. They only explain, or show, what their lives are like, but what do I care if they prove my presumptions? I mentioned earlier BEFORE SUNSET, a boring film, because it doesn't really have anything important to say. It sort of meanders about in a similar fashion as WEEKEND (which, if you didn't get it from that comparison, is also boring). I also mentioned above, one of my favorite films, MY DINNER WITH ANDRE. It's even more intensely just a conversation, but what's discussed is interesting and intelligent. There's no real intelligence in WEEKEND, just a highly tuned sense of recognition. There's some sweetness to the film eventually, but the whole thing is just mired in uninteresting dialogue and mumblecore-esque placements of bad camera movements.

★★ out of Five