Weekend

UK Release: 4th November 2011

Watched on Recorded TV: Sunday 25th November 2012

Rating: 18

Genre: Drama, Romance

Runtime: 1hr 37mins

Tagline: A (sort of) love story between two guys over a cold weekend in October.

IMDb Plot Synopsis: After a drunken house party with his straight mates, Russell heads out to a gay club. Just before closing time he picks up Glen but what's expected to be just a one-night stand becomes something else, something special.

My Review: I first heard about this film on Film 2011 and was intrigued by the strong positive reaction. I was immediately excited when I saw it come up on the TV guide as I was curious to see just how good the film was. As (almost) always Film 2011 (now 2012, of course!) was right as this is a very thoughtful, intense and beautiful film. 

You have to be in the right mood to see it, as with many independent films, as your mind needs to be open. What impressed me the most was how developed the characters became, even with little dialogue. They are both so honest and you feel like these two guys could be any man walking by you in the street. It becomes quite emotional as more and more is revealed about them and, knowing that this only lasts for a weekend (as the title suggests), it becomes rather heart-breaking by the end. What was even more interesting is that I didn’t even know whether the two of them should be together but it was the fact that we’d got to know them so intimately that you felt their pain completely. I haven’t seen such an honest portrayal of a human relationship in a very long time and the fact that it was a homosexual one didn’t even come into it. 

Man or woman, there is still pain in relationships and I found this film to be a very interesting step forward in British film for positive and realistic gay characters and relationships. I certainly enjoyed it and would completely and utterly recommend it for everyone to see, not least because of the cinematography from Raoul Coutard which I found stunning. 

First and foremost it’s a love story and both Tom Cullen and Chris New were fantastic, Cullen especially and I can’t wait to see what all who were involved in Weekend do next...

Score: 8.5/10