A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Weekend” (2024) (From the 2024 London Film Festival).
Very appropriately, the last film on the Friday afternoon of the press preview week of the LFF was “The Weekend”. But this is not a weekend you particularly want to have. For in a Nigerian village, the potential in-laws have some idiosynchracies.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
“The Weekend” Plot Summary:
Luc (Bucci Franklin) is delighted to find that his fiancee Nikiya (Uzoamaka Aniunoh) is pregnant. But she demands that Luke takes her to meet his mysterious parents in his home village: something to that point he has steadfastly refused to do. There’s a good reason for that, but Nikki is not in a mood to be reasoned with.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (At the time of writing, this has not been rated by the BBFC, but I think it would be a ’15’ for strong violence (but it might merit an ’18’ based on the subject matter).)
Talent:
Starring: Keppy Ekpenyong-Bassey, Bucci Franklin, Uzoamaka Aniunoh, Gloria Anozie, James Gardiner, Damilola Ogunsi, Meg Otanwa.
Directed by: Daniel Oriahi.
Written by: Freddie O. Anyaegbunam Jr., Vanessa KanuEgbemawei & Dimiyei Sammy.
Running Time: 1h 57m.
“The Weekend” Summary:
Positives:
- Builds a nice tension in the first half of the film, particularly in a ‘road-block’ scene.
- Zeido (James Gardiner) is a great character who you love to loathe!
- Uzoamaka Aniunoh (as Nikiya) strikes a terrific screen presence
Negatives:
- The final segment of the film goes completely off the deep end: unintentionally hilarious moments.
- The script dodges the obvious…. “if only he communicated THAT… NOW!”… repeatedly.
Review of “The Weekend”:
Building tension.
After a shock opener (which is a bit of a con!) we flash-back in time to our couple living the high life in a swanky apartment in the city. But the tension starts when Nikiya (Uzoamaka Aniunoh) starts to nag Luc (Bucci Franklin) about meeting his parents. Luc’s reluctance, bordering on hostility, shows there is a secret there that needs to be exposed. When it emerges that Luc’s parents are about to celebrate their wedding anniversary, the visit becomes a done deal: “it’s happening… or else”.
As the couple approach the village they meet a roadblock and great danger. This is a really terrific scene, brimming with menace. But on arriving at the future in-laws, Nikiya is warmly welcomed like a daughter by her Mum Omicha (Gloria Anozie) and her Dad Meki (Keppy Ekpenyong-Bassey). You begin to wonder what on earth was Luc on about?
Zeido – a boo-hiss villain.
It turns out that Luc and Nikki are not the only visitors. Luc’s sister Kama (Meg Otanwa) is also there with her larger than life husband Zeido (James Gardiner). Zeido claims to be a “man of substance” which in his way of thinking involves beating up his wife when she “makes him angry” (which seems to happen a lot). Despite the make-up, Kama can’t disguise her black eye which infuriates Luc but which her Mum and Dad seem to be unnervingly sanguine about.
Zeido is a terrifically unlikeable character and, as the viewer, I really wanted something horrible to happen to him!
When you find out, you find out
To say that the story gets dark at this point is an understatement. It gets gory and somewhat disgusting (a reason why this might actually be an ’18’ rather than a ’15’).
Everything builds up to a blood-soaked finale which unfortunately didn’t live up to the quality of the rest of the film. Some of the ‘action’ is unintentionally funny (there was one lady at our screening who was having hysterics, which generally set the mood!).
Far too many get-outs in the script.
It’s also unfortunate that throughout the film, there are so many moments where, if Luc and Nikiya had only achieved some basic communication, they could have got in their car and been back home in their swanky apartment. (They should NEVER get married…. communication is key in a successful marriage!)
A great lead performance
Uzoamaka Aniunoh as Nikiya gives the most impressive acting performance of the film. A really great screen presence.
Triggers
There is a theme of marital abuse that might be triggering for some viewers.
Summary Thoughts on “The Weekend”
I’m not an expert on Nollywood’s output, but this – for all its faults – was quite fun. I originally started by giving this 2.5 stars, but I upped it to 3 stars on reflection. I think that the first part of the film deserves it.
In summary, for me, this is a decent little thriller let down by a dodgy ending.
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
At the time of writing, this film wasn’t on the Justwatch database.
Trailer for “The Weekend”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA7PLIHRECA .
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