FILM

UK 2011 97 mins Dir: Andrew Haigh Starring: Tom Cullen, Chris New

Imagine that Richard Linklater had set 'Before Sunrise' amid the tower blocks of Nottingham rather than the canals of Venice. And that instead of Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, he'd cast a pair of horny, stubbly gay chaps. And rather than having no sex in the course of one night, they enjoy lots of sweaty man sex, plus all sorts of drugs, over two hedonistic nights. That's 'Weekend' in a nutshell: a believable and naturalistic brief homosexual encounter, which, rather refreshingly, isn't concerned with familiar gay movie guff about 'coming out' trauma but addresses instead universal themes of love, sex and identity.

After partying with his straight mates, twentysomething lifeguard Russell (Cullen) makes his excuses and leaves, ostensibly to go home and get a bit of kip. On an impulse, he visits a local gay bar instead, eventually winding up in bed with art gallery worker Glen (New). The following morning, Glen insists on tape recording Russell's thoughts on what he wanted from the encounter for some kind of nebulous 'project'. He's rather more opinionated and aggressive than the laidback Russell, who seems to compartmentalise his life, but nonetheless a real connection is made and this deepens over the course of the weekend.

The full stop is a tad contrived, but mercifully not the one you might fear. Writer/director Andrew Haigh often appears to plonk the duo in real environments, shooting their exchanges unobtrusively from a distance as unwitting punters go about their business. His perceptive dialogue adds to the sense of realism, notably Glen's musing on how we present ourselves in the early stages of a relationship. And you've got to applaud a film that sets up and then takes the piss out of its own cheesy Richard Curtis moment. (Robin Askew)

website www.weekend-film.com/

Opens: November 4

Copyright Robin Askew 2011