Weekend (2011)

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.

Director:

Andrew Haigh

Writer:

Andrew Haigh

Stars:

Tom Cullen, Chris New, Jonathan Race

22 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Cullen	...	Russell
Chris New	...	Glen
Jonathan Race	...	Jamie
Laura Freeman	...	Jill
Loreto Murray	...	Cathy (as Loretto Murray)
Jonathan Wright	...	Johnny
Sarah Churm	...	Helen
Vauxhall Jermaine	...	Damien
Joe Doherty	...	Justin
Kieran Hardcastle	...	Sam
Mark Devenport	...	Straight Man in Bar (as Mark Davenport)
Steve Blackman	...	Straight Man in Bar
Julius Metson Scott	...	Paul
Martin Arrowsmith	...	Martin
Caroline Woolley	...	House Party Girl 1

Storyline

On a Friday night after a drunken house party with his straight mates, Russell heads out to a gay club, alone and on the pull. Just before closing time he picks up Glen but what's expected to be just a one-night stand becomes something else, something special. 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 a brief encounter that will resonate throughout their lives. Weekend is both an honest and unapologetic love story between two guys and a film about the universal struggle for an authentic life in all its forms. It is about the search for identity and the importance of making a passionate commitment to your life.

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Plot Keywords:

fellatio | nudity | coming out | nightclub | intimacy | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Blog Official Facebook

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 November 2011 (UK)

Also Known As:

Amor de Fim de Semana

Filming Locations:

Nottingham Railway Station, Carrington Street, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£120,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$27,245, 25 September 2011, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$455,459, 20 November 2011

Company Credits

Production Co:

EM Media, Glendale Picture Company, Synchronicity Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the first major critical survey of LGBT films, conducted by the BFI in 2016, Weekend (2011) was named the 2nd best LGBT film of all time.

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Goofs

When Russell is anxiously waiting for Glen to arrive at the train station, the train announcements in the background indicate that the time is around 6.30pm, however in the next scene when both characters have gone through the barrier onto the platform, the background train announcements indicate the time time is now around 5pm.

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Quotes

Russell: I can see it that you think... you think I'm a fucking idiot, because I want a fucking relationship.
Glen: Did I say that?
Russell: But the thing is Glen, the thing is Glen, I think that you want one too.

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Connections

References Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960)

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Soundtracks

Her Dress
Written by Written by Tim Barker and Sara Jane Glen-Dinning
Performed by Sawtooth

User Reviews

The rare film about falling in love that gets to the heart of the matter

There are countless films about people falling in love, but when you see Weekend you realise just how rare films are that make a sincere attempt to catch what it really is like to fall for someone, without sentimentality, forced cuteness or cheap emotional manipulation. This is the rare love story that has real emotional truth about it. The fact that it is about two men who fall for each other is almost secondary to the way the film catches the universality of what it is like to fall in love. Weekend is not about exceptional people, just about two average, if smart and likable men, tentatively getting close to each other and it catches lightning in a bottle.

This is not to play down the importance of Weekend as a gay film. Gay issues are touched upon and some good political points are made about gay men in todays society, but it's never in a didactic way. Nothing here feels forced, there is a naturalness about the acting and dialogue, real chemistry between the two leads and a sense of lightness about the filmmaking that yet never feels trivial. Weekend catches the little moments of life beautifully and it finds beauty in the everyday.

The acting here is simply amazing from both leads but Tom Cullen as the more quiet, introverted Russell has a touching vulnerability about him and gives what I would regard as the best performance of the year by a male actor. It's all there in tiny details, there is never a moment when you don't utterly believe what goes on in his heart, it's all there in his eyes and the most subtle shifts of expression. No doubt this performance will be overlooked in favour of more histrionic turns this year, but this is what truly great screen acting is about. I think I fell a little bit in love with him myself.