Director’s Statement

I directed LAST WEEKEND in a wild fever. It's my first feature. A task that I've been trying to accomplish for the better part of two decades. Ironically, this attempt came together very fast. It was conceived and shot in the span of less than one month. The truth is that I had to make this film. And I had to do it this way. My family and I were leaving Hollywood in four weeks time and it was, after all, a last ditch effort to make my own picture before aborting this Hollywood experiment for good. The mistrust in an industry that had chewed me up and spat me out, had been compounded by a global pandemic, and an understandably rising dependency on substances for survival. Everything had finally caught up with us - and we were leaving. All at once I realized I wasn't going anywhere without making this film. Our producer can tell you, it probably saved my life. That's where our characters meet. That tortured crossroad where you're obligated to go one way, but all of the earth's gravity is pushing you somewhere else. It could kill you, but you need to follow that ephemeral thing, sparkling at you from the unknown. Intended as a subversive indictment of millennials and their relationship to sex, drugs, media, gender norms, and violence, LAST WEEKEND is modern melodrama that transforms into a noir-ish thriller.

Shot on location in just five days, even the untraditional production method reflected the themes in my life and in the narrative. Despite the challenges, I was inspired by the actors and technicians around me. I could watch them do anything. Get out of their way, let them perform. Don't artificially create tension or ratchet up the pace with editing. We just calmly watch and listen. Even when what is happening is, shall we say... not so calm. That juxtaposition between time and energy has so much tension. It's on the razor's edge of each slow methodical zoom.” In the past these production limitations had always prevented me from directing a film. Now, I finally found a way to transpose them into an aesthetic that may break from the traditional, but totally works. Defined by its unique visual language, and driven by powerful performances, I'm proud to present LAST WEEKEND. For better or for worse - my life, my passions, my love, and my fears, permeate every frame.

• Curtis Anthony Williams