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.

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.

If you go away for the weekend, you'd think it would be good for you. It usually is ... unless you go with a friend that ... well disppears on you. Or does she? That is the mystery to solve ... and a lot of stuff is being discovered while the friend is missing.

Having said that, the thriller aspect of the movie works partly. There are things that do not really work. And the very last twist is almost a bit too much ... especially because I reckon most see it coming anyway - or expect it to be more exact.

Acting is fine (again apart from that final twist that is a bit too on the nose) and if you don't have high expectations, this will satisfy your thrill needs ...

A really decent murder mystery which was short enough to be watchable and filmed in beautiful Croatia. The cast were all quite believable and it's one to sit and watch on a quiet night. It doesn't demand too much from the audience.

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.