The Weekend Away

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.

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.

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 was interested right away when I saw the trailer, then when it came out and I saw the reviews, I was like nah, maybe not. I put it off for months. Finally I said screw it.

It kept my interest from the start. Didn't know who did what or what happened or why. There was a few different stories within the main one which I also enjoyed. The acting from the lead was fine, not great but maybe it was just the film. However, all the other actors I found to be very good. I found it to keep my attention the entire movie, which is not easy to do these days. There are so many suspects and how that is was even great. Was it GREAT? Not really LOL, but very worth the watch. I say go for it if you want a generally fun who done it.

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 ...