The Weekend Away

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.

This movie has one of the most gorgeous settings I've ever seen as Croatia really fits this who-done-it style mystery movie. I don't think I've watched a movie before with Croatia as the settint. The red-roofed, ancient buildings by the water in a small and compacted city makes a great setting for a mystery movie.

However, the movie itself I thought was okay, but no more than decent at best. It was your typical mystery movie with lots of suspected suspects and plot twists that essentially ends with the unexpected. Not really my type of movie as I find them all quite the same in their own way. I also always find that movies such as this one always lack suspense. With this being said, decent movie with a beautiful setting. Worth the watch!

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.

Definitely not the best movie ever, the plot and acting could have definitely been better. But it could have also been worse. It has a little twist at the end but also not too surprising, kind of predictable. It's an enjoyable movie for a no-brainer kind of movie night. Don't expect too much from it but it's enjoyable enough.