‘The Weekend Away’: Leighton Meester Deserves Better Than Netflix’s Disappointing Vacation Thriller
As Netflix continues to mass-produce original movies, it’s become easier to spot the elements and safeguards put in place to guarantee as many eyeballs as possible so the streamer can gleefully announce on Twitter that one of its films broke a new record for viewership (without providing any evidence).
Frequent consumers of these films—as opposed to the ones purchased and distributed by Netflix—know they’re relatively short, often clocking in under two hours. The plots are simple and easy to follow. They’re paced so that something eventful is happening at every moment to preserve your attention. There’s hardly any experimenting with sound or cinematography. And in case you’re folding laundry or cleaning your bedroom while watching, characters will occasionally announce what they’re doing to keep you up to speed, much like a standard telemovie or a primetime show. Most significantly, because they’re confined to a specific, profit-driven blueprint involving rigorous testing, these movies usually aren’t great.
In that way, it’s not totally surprising that The Weekend Away, Netflix’s latest original film, debuting Thursday, feels more like an errand than a piece of art. The trailer for the new thriller—which is based on the novel of the same name by Sarah Alderson, who wrote the script—teased a more complex, mystifying psychological thriller thanks to some crafty editing. And even though the film’s foreign setting and its subject matter, which somewhat resembles the real-life story of Amanda Knox, appeared overly familiar, a crime story about female friendship, sex, drugs, and scattered memories seemed like it could take some fun and exciting turns.