Weekend 2011

On a Friday night in Nottingham, Russell attends a house party. He assures his best friend Jamie that he will be there on Sunday for Jamie’s daughter’s birthday. Russell leaves early, choosing to head to a gay club for a hookup. There, he meets Glen, an art student, and the two have sex at Russell’s apartment. The next morning, Glen persuades Russell to speak into a voice recorder about the previous night for an art project. The more reserved Russell is surprised by Glen’s blunt discussion of sex. After Russell finishes, they exchange numbers, and Glen leaves. Russell writes about Glen on his laptop after each encounter, keeping a private record of these moments.

A lonely time unfolds at work and beyond. Russell spends the morning as a lifeguard, feeling the sting of isolation. He texts Glen, who agrees to meet again, and the pair share a bicycle ride back to Russell’s flat. As they spend time together, they learn more about each other and about the pasts that shaped them. Glen explains that his art project explores the gap between who people are and who they want to be, as revealed by the personas they adopt when they hook up for the first time. Russell confesses that he never came out to his parents, having grown up in foster homes with Jamie.

Before leaving, Glen reveals his plans and goodbye. Glen tells Russell he is moving to Oregon the next day to attend a two-year art course, and on a whim, invites Russell to his goodbye party at a straight bar that night. Russell decides to go. At the bar, Glen argues with the owner about heteronormativity, while Russell chats with Jill, Glen’s flatmate. Jill discloses that she never got to listen to Russell’s recording; Glen let her listen to all of his other entries. She also shares that Glen was in a relationship with someone named John, who cheated on him and was attacked at a park, and since then Glen has said he “doesn’t do boyfriends.”

doesn’t do boyfriends.

The weekend continues with a carnival and a shift in pace. Russell and Glen ditch Glen’s friends and head to a carnival, where Glen admits he feels his friends hold him back. They return to Russell’s apartment, where they smoke marijuana, drink, and snort cocaine. Russell reveals that he records his experiences privately, and he reads some of his entries to Glen. It’s revealed that one of the men Russell slept with was John. The two argue about the motivations behind the fight for gay marriage, given Glen’s ambivalence toward relationships. Russell suggests that Glen’s mistrust comes from John, while Glen counters that it isn’t that simple; although he thinks Russell could be a wonderful boyfriend, he does not currently want one. Russell is upset, goes to the bathroom, then returns to reconcile, and they make love again that night.

A hopeful, difficult moment as coming out lingers. On Sunday morning, Russell speaks about feeling self-conscious in public about being gay. Glen deduces that Russell keeps a record of his encounters because he is fascinated by how people come out. Glen even pretends to be Russell’s father, giving him a chance to say the truth aloud. Glen mentions he is leaving by train that afternoon, while Russell has Jamie’s daughter’s party to attend. Russell searches for the right way to say goodbye, but Glen leaves after a kiss.

The party, the train, and a final testament. At the party, Russell tries to stay focused, yet remains clearly distracted. Jamie nudges him to open up about what he’s feeling, and he finally shares a part of his life that he usually keeps private. Jamie then drives him to the train station, where he spots Glen waiting on the platform. As they wait for the train, Russell struggles to express how much the weekend has meant to him. They share a public kiss, a moment that feels unusually bold for the reserved Russell. Glen gives him a present, and after another kiss, Glen departs.

A quiet, revealing ending. Later, Russell looks out from his apartment window and opens the present to find the voice recorder Glen used to capture his weekend. He hears himself begin to recount the events, a tangible reminder of how the encounter reshaped his understanding of longing, identity, and what comes next.