Review: Weekend

by Conor Bateman · January 13, 2012

Andrew Haigh – Drama/Romance – UK

Release Date (Australia): 26th January 2012

This story of a one-night stand that unfurls into a weekend of sex, emotional realisation and heartbreak could, in some respects, be compared to Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise and should be recognised as an emotionally raw and honest take on the modern relationship. However, the factor that will distinguish this film, both in content and reception, is the fact that the story revolves around a short lived love affair between two men.

Newcomers Tom Cullen and Chris New deliver astonishing performances as Russell and Glen, two gay men who slowly come to terms with each other and the idea of a monogamous, loving relationship over the course of two days, at the end of which Glen plans to fly to Portland to start a new life. The very notion of a mere two days essentially changing two people is noted in the film but the emotional pull of Haigh’s film is what enables the short time period to not appear forced or ridiculous, a feat also accomplished by Linklater in Before Sunrise. As aforementioned, the biggest distinguishing factor between Linklater and Haigh’s films is that one couple is heterosexual, while the other is homosexual. This explains for the direction taken by Haigh in addressing modern issues through his dialogue, from the beatings by hateful youth to the idea of coming out to parents. In fact, the climax of the film is not a sex scene or even the fantastically written emotional outburst regarding relationships but rather a mock ‘coming out’ for Russell, who pretends Glen is his distant father. Not all the film is heart-wrenching drama, though. There is a great wit about the film, mainly injected by New’s Glen, who manages to not only be piercingly funny at times but also deeply profound simultaneously.

The role of recollection as an idea throughout the film is tied to sexual encounters. Glen records his conquests’ talking about the night before on a tape recorder, while Russell types his own recollections onto his laptop. Where one was an “art project”, the other seemed to be an honest attempt at unravelling the idea of living with one’s sexuality, as most of Russell’s typed paragraphs deal in some respect with his lovers coming out to their parents. It’s interesting to note that a film that deals with the modern experience for gay men focuses not on the idea of coming out but rather on the next step, living life out of the closet.

The film is reminiscent of Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank, in that both are low budget British films addressing love (in some form) through a very intimate approach to the subject matter. In Weekend, director Andrew Haigh and his cinematographer Ula Pontikos have crafted a very clear and crisp looking film, capturing some of the beauty of the mundane everyday. The inventiveness of some of the scenes was very exciting to watch, specifically a scene on a bus in which the camera seems to be placed a few seats away, and we see what a random stranger may have seen at the time.

The idea of setting in the film is canvassed through the shots of the urban landscape of Nottingham, lacking any real distinguishing landmarks or features. These shots were reminiscent of Sydney and the urban sprawl here. From this, there was a sense that this isn’t meant to be a statement about two individuals per se but rather about relationships everywhere. The beautiful shot of Glen and Russell’s apartment light being the only one on in the low-rent high rise building didn’t seem to make a statement that these two were the only to find love or the only people connecting but rather sought to back Glen’s sentiment that gay men should be able to outwardly display affection in society because they are, just like anyone else in the high-rise flats, people.

Weekend is an affecting and unique portrait of two people falling in love at the wrong time, resulting in an engagement with the idea of a modern romance albeit under the bittersweet realisation of having to moving on.