HONESTY WEEKEND Film Review — Life in Your Thirties Gets Complicated

Life Hits A Snag in HONESTY WEEKEND

Over the course of two days, we find they all have to face relationship problems a lot of people might encounter in their thirties.

Is Ada feeling fulfilled as a mom?  
Did John lose his cool now that he owns a mini-van?
For their friends, Stella and Harry, what’s standing in their way of having kids?

At first, we see everyone struggle with being honest. We feel John’s frustration when Ana walks away instead of communicating what she wants. We’re just as confused as Stella when Harry won’t give her a clear answer why the time isn’t right to get pregnant.

We’re kept in the dark like most of these characters, until we get that slow unraveling of figuring out what everyone wants and, in some cases, doesn’t want.

Delving Into the Past and Present

Honesty Weekend feels like this could be a cross between a drama and a rom-com because we’re dealing with some serious relationship drama, but we do have those comedic bits as well. Those bits are emphasized with changes in lighting and, in some cases, close-ups as our characters act over-dramatically.

The film follows the typical narrative style with a linear progression throughout the weekend with flashbacks and flashforwards interspersed with the present. In this writer’s opinion, sometimes it wasn’t clear if one was a real flashback, forward, or a hypothetical event. But for the most part, these help us see a clearer picture of what these characters are really holding back.

As they drive off into the sunset, back to their normal lives, we finally feel a sense of relief as it seems our characters found the value in finally being honest with each other. Honesty Weekend would be a good fit for those who like stories about regular people dealing with regular life issues with the highs and lows that come with.

CAST

ADAM BARTLEY
NATALIE CEBALLOS
DIONI MICHELLE COLLINS
SABINA GADECKI
PETE PLOSZEK
EVAN WATKINS
ALLAN WASSERMAN
LORRAINE PASCALE
SUSAN WALTERS

CREATIVE

Written and Directed By LESLIE THOMAS
Music By MANDY HOFFMAN
Edited By HEEYEON CHANG
Director of Photography LAURENT BASSET
Executive Producers LORI KAYE and LESLIE THOMAS

For more information on screenings visit the Honesty Weekend website
Images courtesy of Honesty Weekend