Weekend

"Weekend" is a remarkable little film from England shot on a shoestring budget that has far more power than most movies with 100 times its budget. It tells the story of two intelligent gay men just entering middle age who meet in a club one night and have a fairly perfunctory one-night stand.

Slowly but surely in the morning, as the drunken haze departs, they realize that they really like each other. A dinner that evening confirms it. They stay up nearly all night, talking non-stop.

Actors Tom Cullen and Chris New are so real that at times you think you're watching a documentary. Anyone who has ever had a one-night stand will recognize the odd mixture of intimacy and remoteness on the morning after that Cullen and New bring to life so perfectly. It's also beautiful to watch the gradual blossoming of feelings of love.

Because of a plot detail that I won't reveal, the fledgling relationship runs into a massive challenge right away. Watching characters deal with this is captivating, especially given the fact that the script is so fine and so true to life.

Writer/director Andrew Haigh, heretofore a complete unknown, pulls off some kind of miracle and creates one of the most beautiful stories of troubled love that I really have ever seen. Gay men will be especially taken up by the story, and the film is certain to become something of a gay classic. But anyone who cares about the human heart will be moved by "Weekend."

It would be fascinating to have a roundtable discussion after a screening of "Weekend" to hear from straight men, lesbians and others about the aspects of themselves that they saw in the story. I would especially like to hear from straight men about what they felt was behind the resistance to relationships shown by Chris New's character.

"Weekend" continues the remarkable winning streak that we've had with art-house releases in 2011, especially from new filmmakers. Thank heavens for indie filmmakers; they have rescued 2011.