Weekend (1968)

Pretty Good

A Masterpiece!

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

We open up with a voyeuristic description of a sexual encounter, then hit the road to hell with a couple devoid of any semblance of consideration or respect for others. Various chaotic and surreal events ensue, all framed within a world of fatal traffic accidents in locations where it should be pretty unlikely for them to occur - maybe an observation on the terrible road safety reputation of France at the time, as well as fitting in with the overall theme? Brilliant and deranged movie with savage humour and it's fair share of depravity and "WTF" moments.... You're always wondering what sort of carnage or strangeness is up ahead.... Oh, and it's also nostalgic eye-candy for those who remember the quirky French vehicles of the time, with a wide selection on view....

A supposedly idyllic week-end trip to the countryside turns into a never-ending nightmare of traffic jams, revolution, cannibalism and murder as French bourgeois society starts to collapse under the weight of its own consumer preoccupations.Following World War II, the French grew increasingly supportive of communism. Maybe not as a whole, but the intellectuals (such as Sartre) embraced it, and it seems a natural reaction following the Nazi occupation of the 1940s. Rejecting the extreme right does tend to push ideology to the left.Here we have a surreal satire on the class struggle in France in the 1960s. One of the most radical countries during one of the most radical decades. Many have compared this to Luis Bunuel's "Discreet Charm" and with good reason. They can both be seen as the artistic expression of the disdain for the upper class. I dare say this is the better film, even if probably the lesser-known.

An utterly insane, yet amazing and important movie unlike anything else, except for movies made by Godard. This is arguably the peak of his career, and arguably easier, yet more difficult to watch. A mad day in a downfall of human kind, or at least modern society, where chaos rules, even in the film makers head. Some scenes are explicit, some are ridiculous with mad dialog, others are pure pornography, either for your thoughts, your eyes or for your live of classic cars or accidents.The film has some amazing bits which are both unlike anything you've seen or would believe, and some parts of the movie will annoy or even bore you, almost to death. It's a kind of dystopia downfall of human society, where it seems like the extraordinary thing are the ordinary.It's the most foul and awful weekend you could ever imagine, made with great visuals, annoyingly long scenes, hopeless cutting and amazing shots. It's political, and a very important anarchistic work, which explores both the film media, as well as the audience. Annoying sounds, extraordinary panoramic, oddly cut like in a society which have lost it's rules, and where all of nothing means something at the same time.It's in no way a perfect film. It's not supposed to be. It's supposed to make you feel something. It'll most likely be a love/hate relationship, where you have to decide what is to gain as a viewer.Most amazing scenes: 1) The opening scene with the sexual description. 2) The fighting scene with the bullying kid. 3) The amazing road accident queue with the following senseless driving. 4) The bloody animal scene... And there's more scenes hard to forget. Pick your own!Warning: Don't expect a coherent story or a meaningful point with all scenes. Enjoy if you like to see something different and wild mixed with strong visuals.

Warning: animal abuse, actual animal killed. Godard slaughters a pig on camera. Godard slaughters a duck on camera. If this sort of French snuff gets you hot & horny, then by all means enjoy the flick. However, if you give half a damn about animals, you might want to avoid this film. It's your choice, but whatever you do, don't be one of those hypocrites who says, "Oh I love animals, but it's totally cool if we abuse them in horrific ways for the sake of entertainment." If you're the latter, please stick your head in a toilet and flush.Other directors who kill animals because they're too cheap to use special effects or props: Tarkovsky, Bergman, Francis Ford Coppola, Sergio Leone, Ki-duk Kim... just check out the IMDb keyword actual-animal-killed for a list of films to either avoid or grease up your pole to, depending on what floats your boat.