The Weekend Away, A B-Movie Netflix Crime Thriller
Kate lives in Croatia and after some time apart and a baby for Beth, her best friend invites her to her fancy apartment for a girl’s weekend. Still make-up-free no matter the occasion, The Weekend Away movie quickly turns into a more serious misadventure when they arrive at a bar. Kate wastes little time hitting on some hot guys who buy them drinks and they party away into the night.
Similar to Kate Siegel in Hypnotic, it seems filmmakers simply apply the no-makeup look to anyone who needs to look like a mom. I’m a mom. I wear makeup. However, that’s exactly how we know Beth (Leighton Meester, Gossip Girl) isn’t as trendy as her best friend Kate (Christina Wolfe.) Her makeup-free face and dull hair are meant to push the idea of realism. But, it’s weird and I don’t like it.
In the morning, Beth wakes up and discovers Kate is missing. There is broken glass on the floor with blood on the carpet. Beth makes some frantic phone calls while some flashbacks of what she can remember of the night flash on the screen. Worried something terrible has happened to her friend, Beth heads off to the nearest police station where a less-than-helpful officer sends her away to wait out the standard 24 hours. And then the murder mystery storyline takes flight. Beth tries to put the pieces of her blurry night back together and enlists the help of a local but friendly driver she is familiar with.
“Trust No One. Suspect Everyone”
The Weekend Away soon devolves into a scenario where everything Beth thinks she knows about her bestie sends her further down the rabbit hole. There are, of course, some small detailed clues about what might be behind Kate’s disappearance. Opening scenes show a nice prelude to what’s in store via in-media res with a body floating in the water. An early conversation with Beth’s husband and Kate over Zoom results in an awkward exchange. And of course, the hotel’s caretaker is odd and creepy. Suddenly everyone is a suspect as the film develops into a well-paced entertaining ride. Adding further fuel to the fire is the suspicious police officer who seems like he is covering something up.
Performances from everyone inside the small cast for The Weekend Away do a fine job convincing the audience that anyone could be the killer. Could it be Beth’s new friendly cab driver Zaine? (Ziad Bakri.) Or could it be the two hot guys who turned out to be male escorts out to make a quick buck selling high-end handbags and accessories? Better yet, is there a police conspiracy at play with police officer Pavic (Amar Bukvic) developing into a career criminal who preys on tourists?
The Weekend Away, A Good Thriller
It’s fair to say, The Weekend Away is on the upper end of the solid thriller movies on the Netflix streaming platform. The film dropped on the platform in early March and will do just nicely for a night in on the couch. For another new Netflix movie, try The Bubble 2022. If you like your movies to let you turn your brain off, then The Weekend Away will be perfect for a night on the couch.
The Weekend Away is rated
3.75 make-up free girls weekends out of 5
Directed by Kim Farrant and written by Sarah Alderson’s novel titled “The Weekend Away.” Watch the movie on Netflix in most countries. If you can’t find it, Mother of Movies recommends JustWatch.com for more ways to watch.
The cast for The Weekend Away includes Leighton Meester, Christina Wolfe, and Ziad Bakri.
