Directed by: Roger Michell
Staring: Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan
There are similarities between this film and Linklater’s “Before Sunset” (see February’s film). Both concern couples exploring the romantic city of Paris. The difference with “Le Weekend” is that this time the pair are not youngsters, but a middle aged, married couple Nick (Broadbent) and Meg (Duncan) from Birmingham. Now that their children have left home, they decide to spend their 30th anniversary in the place of their honeymoon, hoping to rekindle the early romance of their marriage. Needless to say, things do not work out quite as planned and they spend much of the time examining the state of their relationship and the disappointments that they feel they have experienced in their work and life. Despite the difficulties, Hanif Kureshi’s clever script finds humour in their experience and a hidden tenderness between the pair.