What do you get when How to Get Away with Murder and Knives Out have a baby? Well, you’d get Damola Ademola’s A Weekend to Forget. Or at least some part of it.
A Weekend to Forget follows 7 ‘friends’ on a weekend staycation. Things go awry when one friend ends up dead, and the rest try to find out why. Straight out of an Agatha Christie novel, AWTF is filled with unresolved issues, tension as old grimaces rise to the surface, and a gunpowder situation waiting to explode.
The dynamics between all 7 friends is flawed; two friends are married and desperately trying for a baby, which leads to tension between them; one friend is trying to find his feet in Nigeria after leaving the UK; one friend is an upcoming actor trying to ‘blow’ with his manager girlfriend; another has been alienated from the group yet comes along with his girlfriend. The frayed nerves between all of them already make for an interesting dynamic; throw in a murder, and all hell breaks loose. Literally.
On paper, AWTF is up there with Murder on the Orient Express, but the execution leaves a little more to be desired. In some scenes, the acting falls flat against the backdrop of the plot, with certain scenes feeling like a table read with no inflexion as opposed to a scene in front of the camera.
Speaking of the camera, the camera work was fabulous – one particular scene involving the pool had some of the best camera work in the entire movie. The camera work may have been amazing, but the continuity was missing the sprinkle actually to make the movie cohesive. It was obvious from certain angles that there were multiple takes. And while no one expects a one-take movie, the whole point of the movie is to make it feel like you’re immersed in it.
Casting was an interesting choice, with the familiar faces of Elozonam, Erica and Neo gracing our screens once again. These actors although they have appeared multiple times on the big screen bring something new to this movie, tapping into characters vastly different from their previous roles.
The standout star was Ini Dima-Okojie, playing a role that could only be described as the glue holding the characters together.
The movie comes to a climax in the third act, each scene keeping you glued to your seat with the plot twists and suspense. In Marvel fashion, there is a post-credit scene setting the movie up for a sequel we would all be waiting for.
Watching A weekend to forget would make your weekend, one to remember.
