Long Weekend

I'm really pleased to see this film available at last on DVD, as it's a taut, surprising and effective thriller. The movie concerns a bickering husband and wife (the only two characters in the film), who decide to spend a weekend in the Australian countryside to see if they can patch up their marriage. They prepare themselves adequately for a weekend of roughing it, but find themselves unable to fight back against (or comprehend) an inexplicable bombardment of hate from the forces of nature!

The action in the film is cleverly staged, as the trip seems harmless enough to begin with, but cleverly, the couple's plight deepens very gradually. Actually, it's suggested in several key sequences that they are in fact to blame for nature's retaliation - they drop litter, kill and squash small creatures, even hit a kangaroo with their car. But the real reason for the apparent revenge taken by the wilderness surrounding them remains unclear right through until the end of the film.

But there are intriguing hints and clues. From the start, lots of small things seem slightly wrong, and as the couple prepare to depart for their holiday, news reports are heard of animals behaving oddly, which seems like a bad omen right away. I won't go into what actually happens to the two hapless leads, because, for one thing, when written on paper they sound pretty unimpressive. The film's strength is it's ability to make you uneasy at the seemingly random events unfolding, and to add a sinister undertone to the slightest odd occurence. Handled the wrong way, this story could have turned out completely flat, but director Colin Eggleston, together with the two leads, manage to build an atmosphere of superb, bewildering suspense.

Although superbly written, acted and directed, the movie is completely low key almost throughout. I find this a particular skill of good Australian cinema, this ability to stir you without really doing anything explosive or exaggerated onscreen. It's a trait that's also apparent in the gorgeous "Picnic At Hanging Rock" , which has a similar air of mystery and the unexplained about it. However, unlike that movie, "Long Weekend" does have more of a sense of closure - with a powerful ending. It's a film that will definitely linger in your mind.

Long Weekend is an atmospheric "scary" movie from 1977. It was made in Australia and although it carries a PG rating there is some violence, adult themes, and nudity so mature viewing is recommended.

This is the kind of film that starts off so-so, gets you wondering "Where is this movie taking me?", and all of a sudden you're sucked in by the atmosphere of it and wondering, "How is this going to end?" The movie centers on a married couple (basically the only two characters in the movie) and their camping trip in the Outback to help get the stress out of their marriage. Their weekend does not evolve the way they planned.

It's all about the journey in watching this movie so don't let anyone spoil a single scene. By the halfway point when they're driving along the beach you'll be on the edge of your seat.

The DVD also contains a few extras including a decent commentary track that reveals a bit from the film-makers on how they delivered "the goods".

The closest thing I can compare it to from recent American cinema is The Blair Witch Project. That's the kind of horror and atmosphere you'll be getting with this movie. If you're looking for jump out of your seat screams, this isn't the movie for you. But, if you're the kind of person who enjoys a good creepy film that crawls up your spine...then I recommend Long Weekend.

Peter (John Hargreaves) and Marcia (Briony Behets) are having marriage difficulties. Well, ok, their marriage is nearly over. Peter drags Marcia on a camping trip to the (very isolated) Aussie seashore. Along the way, the troubled couple spend most of their time fighting (they have a secret) and abusing nature in the same callous way that they treat each other. Slowly, subtly, nature begins to exact retribution. Peter and Marcia are so busy hurting and blaming each other that they hardly notice the ever-growing menace around them. Like a tightening slipknot, the creatures close in. LONG WEEKEND has an inexplicable atmosphere of impending doom, like a coming disaster. It's not your typical "nature's revenge" movie (Frogs, Prophecy, etc.). In LW, the danger grows in proportion to what we learn about Peter and Marcia's true character and history. A classic...