A ‘Before Sunrise’-esque gay drama shot with natural realism that brings genuine emotions of honesty, desire and affection to the fore.
Review #1,281
Dir. Andrew Haigh
2011 | UK | Drama, Romance | 97 min | 1.85:1 | English
R21 (edited) for homosexual content
Cast: Tom Cullen, Chris New, Jonathan Race
Plot: 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.
Awards: Won MovieZone Award (Rotterdam)
International Sales: Bureau Film
Accessibility Index
Subject Matter: Moderate – LGBTQ; Relationship & Intimacy
Narrative Style: Straightforward
Pace: Slightly Slow
Audience Type: Slightly Arthouse
Viewed: Criterion Blu-ray
First Published: 28 Mar 2016
Spoilers: No
One of the emerging talents working in British cinema today, Andrew Haigh has made several features so far, including his breakthrough Weekend, and 45 Years (2015), starring Charlotte Rampling in an Oscar-nominated performance.
One of the most important works of the LGBTQ genre to come out in the early part of this decade, Weekend centres on two strangers Russell and Glen. They meet in a gay club and subsequently have a one-night stand.
What seems like a stereotypical depiction of the first meeting of two gay men moves into a fresh direction that benefits from Haigh’s naturalistic style of filmmaking.
Coming from the Richard Linklater school of modern natural realism, with Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Sunset (2004) possibly having strong influences on how Weekend plays out narratively and stylistically, Haigh develops an intensity between the two characters that is effectively subdued, both having rather different personalities and perspectives, but share an undercurrent of affection for each other.
“Well, you know what it’s like when you first sleep with someone you don’t know?”
Their conversations, sometimes held in long takes, have an air of spontaneity, with topics ranging from general views on society’s impressions of homosexuals, their own personal lives and secrets, and explicit sexual banter over desires and fetishes.
The setting is the English Midlands, with apartments and surrounding parks. In a recurring high shot, we look down from Russell’s apartment onto a tiny grey path cutting through the town’s greenery to see Glen walking away. Each time we see that, the emotions are subtly different.
Credit to the outstanding performances by Tom Cullen and Chris New, newcomers in the business, but they bring such honesty to their characters that it is difficult not to empathise with their shared human experience.
And I think this is why Weekend triumphs many gay-themed movies today – it doesn’t have an agenda; neither does it take sides or sensationalise anything. It just wants to show us that anyone, everyone, is entitled to showing and receiving love and desire from one another.
Grade: A-
Trailer:
Music:
Eternality Tan 
[…] known for Weekend (2011), one of the key queer films of post-2000s British cinema, Andrew Haigh isn’t exactly a […]
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Great reviews as always. I have heard about this movie but never got around to watching it. I am a huge fan of the filmmaker Andrew Haigh. Last year, Haigh made one of the greatest LGBTQ movies I have ever seen with “All of Us Strangers”. That was a similar film that also focused on the struggles faced by queer men in society. I rarely ever cry in movies but that was an exceptionally emotional movie that left me in tears. I was shocked when it didn’t receive a single Oscar nomination. I think Haigh is an incredible filmmaker, and I will definitely keep “Weekend” on my watchlist of movies to see. I had forgotten about this movie so thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Here’s why I loved Andrew Haigh’s latest film “All of Us Strangers”:
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