The Weekend – Movie Review

Nikiya (played by Uzoamaka Aniunoh) visits her fiancé’s family for the weekend, and there she uncovers unsettling family secrets; they’re cannibals. 

I thought the story was good. The film started well and, as it progressed, you could feel the tension, especially at the roadblock scene and when they got to the house. There was this clear unease that something bad was about to happen.

The performances were good. I must specifically mention the Man of Substance, Zaido (played by James Gardiner). The character was so annoying, but it did what it was supposed to do: make you hate his guts. 

But I did not really think the writing was good. The most part of this film felt like it was based on forced conflict. I mean, Luc (played by Bucci Franklin) had not seen his family in 15 years, he had not been back home in 15 years, but when he decided to, he did not try to confirm if the harvest already happened? He just randomly drove down there. He did not book a hotel for him and his fiancé as well. Knowing the choice of food in his family house, he did not at least warn her not to eat any meat when she gets there.

When things started to unravel like he feared, they could have left, but no, he told her they should wait till the next day. It seemed like a lot could have been resolved if he just spoke to her, but for some reason, that did not happen because they wanted the plot to progress anyway, even if it was not convincing.

I had an issue with the setting of this film, and I don’t mean the physical setting. I mean world-building. What do I mean? It is important that a film’s setting be rich in details that would make the story authentic. The most part of this film was set in a community of cannibals, but it did not look or feel like it. The cannibalism was mostly contained in Luc’s house. It was unrealistic that the other members of the community did not react at all at the party, seeing “Fresh meat” (Zaido & Nikiya) in their midst. The people who also kidnapped Luc, it just seemed like something they put in just because. I mean, why are you setting a trap inside your community when anyone who did not have the mark would have been captured before they even entered the community? It was somehow to me. Also, the guys at the checkpoint were obviously there from morning till night, working for Luc’s father. It would have been nice to see what they were doing with the other bodies, where they were taking them, and their cars. A movie is a universe created to transport the audience, and it has to be believable.

There was the Carpenter, who exactly was he? An outsider or one of them? It seemed like he had been observing the family, for what purpose? Or did he happen to just randomly be around to save Nikiya? Without any context, his presence and his actions felt very random.

The Weekend was not particularly scary or disturbing, and honestly, offered so little in the way of dramatic momentum. Most of the bloodshed also happened off-screen, so there was nothing gory or shocking. There was really no highlight for me. The end was even more off-putting. Nikiya hacking Luc’s father to death seemed like too much drama. 

Everyone dying with one survivor is something that typically happens in horror films, but in this case, it was not earned. I was not particularly sad that any one of them died, neither did it seem like a natural conclusion or outcome of events.

Overall, The Weekend was not a bad watch. I just did not find most of it believable enough. You can say they missed the opportunity to be great.