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

Shot using mostly natural light and only existing locations.

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Goofs

When Russell asks Glen what time his train is later that day, Glen informs him it is around 4.30pm. Later on when Russell is in the train station's main room waiting for Glen to appear, an announcement is heard in the background clearly indicating that one of the next trains to depart the station is the 18:37pm for Birmingham New Street.

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Quotes

Glen: Do you ever think about finding your parents?
Russell: No, not really.
Glen: Why not?
Russell: I don't really see the point. You know, I don't think it would change anything.
Glen: Why don't I pretend to be your dad and you can come out to me?
Russell: [laughs] That is SO weird.
Glen: Just ignore the fact we just had sex.
Russell: I don't think I can. Guess I'll try. Ok.
[looks Glen in the eye]
Russell: Dad? I got something I need to tell you.
[...]

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Connections

References Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960)

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Soundtracks

Saint Lawrence
Composed by Aaron Wheeler

User Reviews

Movie with a Human Agenda

In "Weekend," a beautifully acted and written indie drama from writer/director (and editor) Andrew Haigh, two gay men fall heavily for each other over the course of a 2 or 3 day period, each getting at something in the other that no one before had managed to do. But this is not a "gay" movie, and people who stay away from it because they think it has a gay agenda, or that it has nothing to say to them, or who are simply uncomfortable with the sight of two men having sex, will deny themselves the pleasure of seeing a film with a universal message about what it's like to be lonely and the search for meaningful human connections that kind of loneliness motivates.

It's not that Haigh avoids addressing the complications of being gay in the present day. Part of what I admired about the film was that it put being gay, and the constant energy it takes on the part of gay men to either fight or ignore the ignorance and hostility they must constantly endure, in a context that anybody can understand. The film's central character, Russell (Tom Cullen), has been raised as a foster child in a "straight" environment. His foster brother knows he's gay and is accepting of it, but even at that, Russell's time with his brother and his brother's family only accentuates the desolate fact that the kind of "normal" happiness his brother enjoys (the solidarity of a strong marriage, children) is something that at best he will have to fight for or at worst will be denied altogether. The bitterness this harsh reality can create in gay men is illustrated in the character of Glen (Chris New), a crusader who believes happiness in marriage is a sham perpetrated by the straight community and that attempts at finding contentment and satisfaction in a life partner are akin to tilting at windmills.

Cullen and New deliver award-worthy performances, so it's a shame that this film's size and subject matter will deny it any kind of major awards attention. The film is actually breathtaking at moments, albeit in an unassuming way, in its frankness and its ability to capture perfectly in words ideas about the way our societies treat relationships, commitments and love that I had only half articulated to myself. It would be easy to believe that Haigh found two non-actors roaming the streets, asked them to star in a movie, gave them situations to play out without a script, and filmed the results. It's that authentic.

I hope people see this movie.

Grade: A