Edinburgh University Film Society

Weekender (EIFF)

The first thing I thought about Weekender is that it misses it mark.

Essentially a nineties rave film it has no sense of nostalgia that you would want from it nor is it quite a film that should show us a dark and intoxicating side of illegal raving; although it did try.

Dylan (Jack O’Connell) and Matt (Heny Lloyd-Hughes) are two Manchester lads who try to cash in on the fashion that is illegal raving, managing to get a hold of their favourite pirate radio DJ they manage to pull of a quick and successful rave that ends up in a decision to make this a full-time business venture.

Tensions start to arise between the two friends when a self-styled gangster becomes involved who is seemingly offering them some sort of legitimacy and intervenes with the way drugs are distributed and before the two know it, they are in far deeper than they had ever wanted to be and simply walking out is no longer an option as they find themselves under someone’s thumb.

Sadly Weekender does not actually go as far as it wants to. Even though it’s trying to be a dark film you know that there is no serious threat and you never really get totally invested in the characters. The chemistry though between the two leads is the best thing about the film, as is the performance by Tom Meeten playing the very easy going DJ.

I didn’t dislike Weekender. For the size of the film it is pretty decent and likeable but you will walk away a bit disappointed that it didn’t push it any further.

Oliver Sherman (EIFF)

What is meant to be an affecting look at how the war returns soldiers damaged sadly underwhelms as it doesn’t have anything new to say on the matter simply resulting in a somewhat uncomfortable film to watch.

A lost in life veteran, Sherman Oliver (Garret Dillahunt) finds himself travelling from place to place with no real roots to settle and stay, he takes an unannounced trip and ends up at the house of a fellow veteran Franklin Page (Donal Logue), who as it turns out, saved Oliver’s life during their tour. Page is a settled family man in a settled family house with a wife and child, understanding the world through Oliver’s eyes convinces his wife to let him stay in their house until he finds himself orientated to go somewhere.

But Oliver does not leave any time soon even as boundaries are crossed and bad impressions are made, Oliver still manipulates Page’s sympathies for the man he once saved which causes friction in his marriage.

The ending of this film is drawn out in suspense making us question: why is Oliver acting so? When will Page listen to his wife? And although answered and concluded, for some reason does not completely satisfy.

To illustrate a point, the last scene of The Hurt Locker (Jeremy Renner looking at cereal) sums up what this film takes 82 to minutes to encapsulate. Saying that, it’s not a bad film, it just doesn’t speak for this time as well as it wanted to.

The Divide (EIFF)

Another apocalyptic story that was offered this year started with an evacuation of an apartment building. We see fragments of what people are like, making way for others on the staircase, trying to give old people a hand and some just run without any care for others. A hermit of a caretaker played by Michael Biehn leads several people down into the basement for a temporary safety solution and for a brief while you think you know this story and where it is going. There will be alliances as personalities fall out, there will be arguments over what people will want to do about their situation. And to be honest, I’m fine with this formula, simple is enough, less is more.

Instead the film is turned up to such an extent that all assumptions we were making with characters we were getting acquainted with are shifted to such drastic lengths after the first fifteen minutes and it is for the worst as no singular person seems to be likeable. They all just drift into a pathetic state of squalor and desperateness and no real sympathy can be mustered up for them.

Despite in the beginning of the film, there is some curiosity to discover what cause to the ‘apocalypse’ is, all interest is lost in this and from there it then seems that the film has no destination point but just a vicious circle of the same problems as the temporary hideout is abandoned and the ‘leaders’ of the group decide to stay put in the small, suffocating basement. I mean, it so obviously jumps out as long-term stay, why wouldn’t you just want to stay there forever?

And that’s what this film feels like, forever. But thankfully it does end.
In comparison to Phase 7 which was seen earlier in the festival: Phase 7 is far far far superior.