British indie romance about a newly acquainted gay couple, and their one-night stand that becomes something more. Winner of the Audience Award at SXSW Film Festival and Most Promising Newcomer (Tom Cullen) at the British Independent Film Awards.
"On a Friday night after hanging out with his straight mates, Russell (Cullen) heads out to a gay club, alone and on the pull. Just before closing time he picks up Glen (Chris New) and that weekend, in bars and in bedrooms, getting drunk and taking drugs, telling stories and having sex, the two men get to know each other. It is an encounter that will resonate throughout their lives." (SWSX 2011).
I apologise, we feel bad, but there's no trailer available. ~Ed.
“No one’s going to come see it because it’s about gay sex,” opines aspiring artist and film-maker Glen in Weekend. Perhaps he’s director Andrew Haigh’s mouthpiece. Is Weekend about gay sex? Well there are man-on-man scenes but to sidle it with that label is misleading. Weekend offers much more than the one-night-stand it at first appears to be.
Amazing performances from leads Tom Cullen (Russell) and Chris New (Glen) give this budding romance an air of authenticity. The protective disguise of indifference barely conceals the surging interest and raw emotion brewing between this pair of opposites, getting to know each other over 48 hours: Russell, who is introspective and not entirely comfortable with his sexuality, and Glen, the say-it-how-it-is angry artist. At times their connection is so intimate it’s uncomfortable.
But the obscene sex banter is overshadowed by conversations of profound sadness and in that respect Weekend becomes a subtly political film. When Russell speaks of feeling like an outcast and Glen yearns for another life, away from the cloying reality he knows, the alienation both characters feel brings them closer.
Haigh never clobbers viewers over the head with the idea; he just points a camera on it. While Russell rides the tube, he’s inadvertently subjected to a crass discussion of what makes someone gay; he’s used to the bigots who shout profanities through his window.
Ebbing and flowing between literal highs and lows – from bars, parties, coke and weed to the grey streets of Nottingham and Russell’s uninspiring flat, Weekend is a film that feels like real life –sometimes dull, sometimes funny, and bittersweet.
By Rebecca Barry Hill, Flicks.co.nz
I don't really like romantic films as a general rule as they tend to be too far from reality and overly sweet for my liking. However WEEKEND sure is something else. It follows Russel and Glenn, two guys in Nottingham, that happen to "hook up" at the end of a drunken night. Possibly a budding bromance. As Glenn rightfully puts it in the film, talking of his art project : "Straight people will not go see it, it's too gay, too foreign, too scary. And gay men might go see it in the hope of seeing a bit of c#*ck !". The exact same goes for this film with maybe the addition of a few open minded film buffs. And it is a shame,as not only it is a great insight into city gay life , it is a major look at how lost and lonely people (not just gay people) are feeling in our modern time. And sure enough you might feel a little uncomfortable with the short sex scenes, but what the heck : how long have gay people been enduring straight sex scenes for ? Get over it ! Love is love ... and it's beautiful in all it's forms.
One of the sweetest films you'll see. The relationship is so real and compelling; the performances are terrific; just a wonderful film through and through.
Bittersweet, achingly authentic, and so intimate it almost feels invasive.
A smart, sensitive, perceptive film.
A love story that will get under the skin of romantics everywhere.
Acutely observed.
The script and the performances overcome the sordid details.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 9th Feb 2012.
Release date: February 9th 2012.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
