Weekend (2011)
This movie was written and directed by Andrew Haigh, the producer/writer/creator of Looking, which I loved (although I admit I haven't seen the final episode yet).
The movie has a very similar mood and characterization: we see intimate moments, no shyness about sex, lots of discussions about what the characters want from life. Excellent stuff, if you ask me.
Weekend follows two days in the life of Russell (Tom Cullen) and Glen (Chris New). They meet at a gay bar and have sex (the movie skips that first time), and then start talking about Glen's art project. On the surface, it's a project about gay sex: Glen lets his one-night stands talk about their experience. But soon it's clear that it has much more relevance than just sex, it's about the self-perception of people, and Russ and Glen get into what it means to be gay, how gay art is never appreciated by the "normal" public, how gays always feel like they have to stay in their corner and not upset anyone. Later in the movie, the discussion becomes even more about perception in general, about how to be yourself, how to progress and/or reinvent yourself, and that definitely resonated with me as a universal issue - completely unrelated to sexuality.
The discussions are very thought-provoking.
Of course then there's more sex (that is not skipped and really well done!), and feelings, and more discussions. You can tell that they really like each other, even though they mostly disagree on the topics of their discussions. It all threads together really nicely, all while following Russell around through the weekend - to his job, a party Glen invites him to, etc, and eventually back to Russell's place.
The only thing I definitely did not like about this movie is the night (Saturday night, I guess?) where they go and buy a ton of drugs and basically spend the whole night smoking and snorting everything. It's way more extreme than in other movies I've seen, and I found it very off-putting. Even so, I really liked the movie, which speaks for its general quality even with the (long) part of it I hated.
Also, it has the best sex scenes I've ever seen in a movie (that is not porn). They're very intimate. If you know of any other movies that have sex scenes this good, let me know! *g*
* I kept wondering whether Russell lied about being out, because he gave the impression of being very closed off in the company of his friends. But it becomes clear later that he's just a very private person. Yes, his friends are aware that he's gay, but he never talks about it. I liked the nuanced portrayal of that.
* One of the things they're complaining about is that het people talk about sex all the time, and nobody cares, and they wish they could do that, too. I can't say I have made that experience at all. But then, I'm not British, and maybe het men do it when not in the company of women (*coughlockerroomtalkcough*). I don't think this is something you should aspire to (but I understand that anything you perceive as being shut out from will rankle, no matter how inane).
* Strange aside, but I really liked that they're always using public transport (or biking) in this movie. This is something very inner-city British, and it is much closer to my personal life experience than what US movies usually offer. (Also, all British railway stations look alike and it's nice that I've been there and have seen some. :) Even if not Nottingham, where the movie was shot.)
* I loved how Glen was obviously smitten with Russell, the scene where he tries to leave and keeps coming back is absolutely hilarious. (Until he tells Russell about his plans, that is.)
* I'm unsure about what to think about the ending. I would have loved to see them stay together. Apparently, Glen's friends had a bet going whether he'd really go through with his plans or not. I wasn't even sure I understood that correctly, English not being my first language, and the accent being hard to understand, and the dialogue taking part in a crowded bar, but Wikipedia backs me up on that - so there still was the possibility until the very end that Glen wouldn't leave. On the one hand, I'm happy he does what he set out to do (to reinvent himself), and on the other, they're both so sad about having to say goodbye. Oh well, at least it's not an artificially constructed unhappy ending, and there is so much love between them that I can see them sticking it out and getting back together (two years) later.
* I wonder how compatible they would have been in the long run. They're very similar in their navel-gazing: Glen with his art project, and Russell with his diary. If they ever find each other again, I see a lot of discussions in their future. ;)
* I really liked the whole goodbye scene, though - from Russell letting his friend Jamie take him to the station, and then kissing Glen in public, with tears in his eyes. They are such a cute couple! And both of Russell's fears - talking to Jamie about his love life, and public displays of affection - are addressed and turn out to be not so bad after all.
* The scene where Glen pretends to be Russ's father, to provide him with a play-acting opportunity to come out to his parents, was very weird. One of the weirder ideas in the movie, and one I could not quite see making sense. Speaking the words out loud might make some small difference, but I don't think it would help Russell at all.
* I liked all the awkward discussions, from "so I was your second choice" and "do you like being a lifeguard" to "I'd come to your gallery - no you wouldn't". This is a very discussion-heavy movie, and it totally worked for me.
* I've already mentioned it outside the cut: the sex scenes are awesome. I especially want to mention the one where Russell communicates - with a light touch of his hand - to Glen that he should stop and wait for Russell to adjust, which he does, until Russ nods that he's fine and he can move again. I loved that so much. It's such an intimate thing, nothing you'd see in porn, and it's dead sexy.
* Apropos sex: I laughed so much at the scene with the come. It's not exactly porny, but it was so unexpected. Honestly, the sex in this movie reminded me much more of fanfic than it did of porn. Which is a huge compliment in my eyes.
8/10 - very sexy, and great characters discussing their way through life
x-posted from dw (comments:
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