The Weekend Away

Apart from its lovely Croatian setting, the best parts of The Weekend Away include a pretty good showing from Leighton Meester and an intriguing first act. About one-thirds in, I realized that this would be nothing more than a formulaic thriller sans any deeper narrative arcs. And the film didn't attempt anything to prove me wrong. It uses the same tropes as a dozen similar murder-mystery thrillers before it. Some of them include adultery and voyeurism angles, a stranger who's unflinchingly ready to help, and a couple of throwaway twists. Where the film utterly fails is in showcasing the friendship between the protagonist and the murdered woman, not giving us enough material to even consider a deeper, more psychologically driven angle. The Weekend Away seems content sticking to its barebones, neither giving Meester a worthwhile outing nor being a pulpy little mystery.

I really liked this film. I thought it had great suspense and the stakes were always high for the lead. Plus, the scenery of the country were beautiful. I, overall, thought the setups were cleverly executed. It was also lovely to see Leighton in a film; she should get hired more.

Nothing special, nothing the least bit original, nothing rememberable, made for T. V type script and dialogue. Basically just like 95% of every other film released the past few years.

A good old fashioned murder mystery set against a beautiful backdrop. It's come in for some criticism, but I personally really enjoyed it. Something almost a bit 60's TV show about the story, if you're a fan of movies like A Simple Favour, you'll enjoy this.

Plenty of twists, and they keep on coming, right up until the very end, by the end of the movie, you're unsure if you know what's happened, or if there are still further revelations.

Leighton Meester and Christina Wolf are both really good as the central characters, both are convincing and sincere.

Better than you may think, 7/10.

Whilst it may take a little time to get into, The Weekend Away does have an interesting plot. It's a mystery that isn't packed full of twists and turns, as every character who appears to be suspicious at first glance remains suspicious throughout. First impressions count for a lot, but the film is still without predictability towards the finale, allowing at least one major twist to be enjoyed.

Some lines of dialogue are daft, and some actions completely illogical, but ultimately the plot is solid. Bakri is impressive in his role, and in general the acting throughout is relatively commendable.