Weekend
(Now, IFC Center)

What starts as a one-night-stand goes from two-day whirlwind to countdown to goodbye for Russell (Tom Cullen) and Glen (Chris New) in writer/director Andrew Haigh's "Weekend." After a late-night stop at a gay bar, Russell wakes up next to Glen, who then asks him to recount the previous evening's events into a tape-recorder for an art project. As he re-tells the story of how they met (probably not one for the grandkids), Russell, Glen, and the audience can all sense that maybe there is something more between the two of them. So when they breezily exchange numbers and go their separate ways, presumably to fall into the hazy category of one-night-stands and never see each other again (which we know nothing about...), it comes as no surprise that they, in fact, do meet again, and embark on a weekend affair filled with romance and waxing-poetic about the state of their existence as modern gay men, challenging both of their comfort zones and preconceptions. (Oh, there is sex too.)
Say goodbye to the days of Queer as Folk style campiness and Milk style oppression, and say hello to a contemporary story that Haigh tells with deft realism. There is no glitz or glam, just a starkly accurate portrayal of the modern gay experience—hookups, street-side taunts and the PDA complex—that is not to be missed. And it's not just for the boys, there is girl-friendly eye-candy, as well as tropes of the modern-day dating landscape that anyone can relate to.

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