The Weekend Away

I take time on Sunday mornings now to watch Netflix by myself. To be honest I haven’t been impressed or excited to watch anything on Netflix recently. However, I decided to throw on The Weekend Away and I was entertained and engaged which is rare for me. The Weekend Away was not something I was expecting at all when it came to its twists and turns. The movie stars Leighton Meester and Christina Wolfe as the lead best friends. The two best friends go away to Croatia for a little getaway. One friend is a new mom, Beth. While the other is freshly divorced, Kate. Hoping to relax and let loose they run into some trouble. From escorts and drugs, to affairs and death, this movie is messy in a good way.

The film is based off a book which always has me torn. I never know if it’s going to be very close to the book in comparison or if it will take to its own and make something even greater than the book, which is hard to do. However, this left me feeling like I wanted to read the book as well even though I knew how the story played out. The foreshadowing of the film was excellent. While giving off hints there was not a lot of predictable moments in the film.

The film starts out very genuine and light. You notice the friend dynamic very quickly within the film. There immediately is trouble and red flags revealed the first night of the girls’ trip. Kate encourages the shenanigans throughout the night, throwing Beth in for a loop. Beth simply thought they would have a relaxing girls’ trip not a party filled weekend. The next morning Beth wakes up to even more chaos. Everything from a missing Kate, broken shattered glass, to blood on the floor. Beth goes to the police but they don’t believe her simply because she is a tourist. The rest of the story unfolds and the plot thickens.

The Weekend Away delivered many plot twists and turns which kept the film interesting. While it seems like your predictable thriller/drama it’s not. Like mentioned before I really want to read the book now that I’ve seen the film. As nice as a getaway as the trip initially sounded like, it turns out to be a nightmare. There’s an awful outcome for both Kate and Beth and that’s all I will tell in regard to the film and its plot. Let’s just say I watched the film twice and spotted something new the second go around.

The camera angles and direction really made it seem like I was there in Croatia with the women. The film had a feeling of intimacy and privacy that couldn’t be ignored. The editing and transitions were so smooth, it was hard to find something off about the film in that aspect. The production design and set decorator too deserve their props when it comes to the feeling and tone of the film. The film’s tone, while I knew and was prepared for the drama and thrill was actually cool and very calm. There are no jump scares or pop ups in the film. It just simply flows along as the story moves along.

I can genuinely say I enjoyed the film and would watch it again. Would I recommend The Weekend Away to family and friends? Yes, I would even recommend it online to someone who just wants to watch an entertaining drama/thriller. Please go check out The Weekend Away and let me know what you think in the comments down below. The film can currently be streamed on Netflix.