Frameline is thrilled to partner with guest bloggers from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire during this year's festival! We've invited students from the LGBTQA Studies: San Francisco Travel Seminar at UWEC to share their experiences of Frameline and their thoughts on San Francisco's queer community. As they attend Frameline and experience San Francisco, they will be creating LGBTQ-themed documentaries, as well as vetting films for their second Eau Queer Film Festival in the fall.
"As the film begins, I predicted it would be involved around wild nightlife, gay bars, and hook ups; but I never imagined it would spiral into a beautiful story about real, honest, true love. Now, having seen four films at the Castro Theatre, I would make the statement that “The Weekend” is hands down, the stand out film within the others. The cinematography and storyline start slow and simple, making the audience wonder what they really got themselves into; will basic scenes always drag on so long? But as the movie proceeded, this style of filming, turned into brilliance." - Lindsay Miklya
"It becomes quite evident throughout the movie through the use of cinematography that window sills would become a powerful symbol throughout the film. Whether the camera used the window sill to frame the unknown city, or when the first truly intimate moment took place, to the ending; window sills seemed to give the illusion of a gateway between the inside and outside, the soul and outer facades. Another thing that I found extremely moving was the genuine conversations between the two characters Russell and Glen. Throughout their whirlwind weekend Glen helped Russell accept himself and his sexuality and by allowing Russell to “come out” while pretending to be his father it was evident how much the characters had blossomed together." - Kelly Brill
"The multiple sex scenes and drug usage scenes at first seemed unnecessary, but by the end of the film I understood the importance and tastefulness of production. The pure rawness showed the process of falling in love in its purest form. Any community would benefit from the lessons learned in Weekend and Eau Claire is definitely no exception. Often times we get caught up in the mumble jumble of life and forget about some of life’s greatest aspects. True love cannot be taken for granted.
The best advice I can give the readers about Weekend is to pay attention to any scenes involving a window. I found that some of the most character personality revealing occurred somewhere in relation to a window. Also, during the sex and drug scenes don’t focus so much on the actions of the characters, but pay close attention to what is being said. The most soul bearing scenes took place in bed while high. Amazing film!" - Katie Johnson