WEEKEND, ENDED.

Clementina 2022-03-21 09:02:56

The weekend is over.

Two days ago, Mr. Lifeguard, who was bored, was on his way home by bus after partying with his buddies when he turned into Propaganda, a gay-friendly club, on a whim. Accidentally met another man who made his eyes shine, and took him home. After the one-night stand, he felt inseparable. He thought maybe it was love, but the other party had already planned to go to the United States, and he could not persuade him. he stays...

The plot of WEEKEND's movie is so simple that it seems that there is no plot, just like peeping a few fragments of the life of Mr. Lifeguard over the weekend. There is no background music, a large area of ​​empty footage and ambient sounds, the sound of traffic, wind, and whistles on the city streets, a lonely, real life comes to life.

Most people may find this kind of movie super boring, but I love these empty shots and ambient sounds, quiet shots without dialogue, the sound of the protagonist touching various objects, and even an experience similar to ASMR. This has also become the most iconic style of the film.

The film's shooting of same-sex sex is very good, making people feel intimate without being overly provocative and erotic. The performance of the actors is very natural and makes people very comfortable, whether it is the embarrassment of being speechless at the beginning, as well as the love and reluctance later, they are all accurate expressions beyond words. The characters of the two people are very distinct and the characters are vivid.

There are a few details in it that I like very much, which depict Russel's life more three-dimensionally.

Russel picked up the new shoes the first day and put them down, picked them up the next day and decided to put them on. The old man's phone that Russel and Glen took out when they exchanged phones, and the fact that he was holding Glen's iPhone and didn't know how to save the number. When Russel worked at the swimming pool, he sat in the lifeguard's seat and quietly watched two shirtless men drying each other's bodies not far away. Glen has invaded Russel's peaceful life like fireworks. After one night, when the two parted the next morning, the strangeness and intimacy between the two were mixed with blurred boundaries, which led to the embarrassment and embarrassment that they could only "handshake friendship" in the end. laugh.

Russel isn't a big guy, but he looks good to me. Such a gentle, honest, kind, and warm character is very likable, and even makes people imagine that there can be friends or lovers like him in life. Glen is a somewhat cynical Cool guy because of his injuries, and he has some persecution delusions and vindictiveness based on his severe insecurities. And Russel was the one who could heal him.

However, the film is full of cliché of gay movies, and the most unacceptable thing for me is the scene of two people smoking cocaine, which looks so natural, harmless to humans and animals, as common as drugs, tobacco and alcohol. Promiscuity, drug use, these two behaviors are placed in gay movies, so they cater to some people's stigma of homosexuality, I don't even know if they are deliberately done for satire. This bridge is very abrupt and very unconvincing. The two people's beautiful hair and teeth don't look like cocaine addicts at all.

In the film, almost every time the two protagonists walk on the street outside, there are "mentally ill" passersby shouting at them QUEER, FUCKING GAY BOYS and other discriminatory and insulting words about homosexuality, or taking public rides. When I was in traffic, I felt very absurd to hear passers-by taunting gays and lesbians.

Is this true in the UK in 2011? What's wrong with these people? I haven't been to the UK, so I can't say for sure, maybe that's the truth. Or, the screenwriter deliberately rendered such a social environment in order to emphasize the objective reasons for the protagonist's departure from the UK, or exaggerated to arouse everyone's attention to this social issue.

The end of the film is very dull, and Russel's sad look for a moment is distressing. But the imperfect ending didn't make me sad. I think this is an open-ended plot. Through this parting, they really saw what they really wanted and the essence of this relationship.

So I like to believe that this is a happy ending.

View more about Weekend reviews

Extended Reading
  • Dejuan 2022-03-20 09:02:32

    The narrative is smooth, the emotions are delicate and true, and the film touches some of the subtle states of people in this era. Hey, I can’t help but sigh, thinking about the breakup of Quinnford+Scoutd, who took the stills for this film. I like talking about tuberculosis movies, and I want to talk about tuberculosis in a deep level with someone who is not talking about tuberculosis. At the same time, it is also related to the status quo that most of the movies are not good in a few sentences!

  • Nathan 2022-03-15 09:01:06

    It can be said that it is a gay version of Before Sunrise. It depicts the whole process of the two people's "talking" from meeting, acquaintance to love, with delicate and true script shots and performances, constructing a perfect two-person world with a deadline of 48 hours. The persuasive intimacy created in the film makes the ending very heart-wrenching, and it also satisfies the audience who expects to see the dew point and the sex scene... it is the best in the gay film!

Weekend 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.

  • Glen: I know what artists sound like when they talk about their art, so I am not going to sit around and sound like a cunt.

    Russell: Well, it's a good thing you are not an artist yet, then, isn't it?

    Glen: Ohh, verrry funny!