4.6/10
Senior Film Conservator

A definitive 4.6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Week-end remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, you probably don’t need to go out of your way to find Week-end. It’s the kind of movie that plays better if you’re already into old racing dramas or just want to see how they did things back then. If you hate slow-burn relationship bickering or films where the 'racing' part feels like it happens on a shoestring budget, skip it.
The whole thing feels a bit like Lau Lauritzen was trying to juggle five plates at once. Most of them stay in the air, but you can see the sweat. The racing team dynamics are… well, let's say they aren't exactly professional. It's mostly guys yelling and looking stressed while standing near boats or cars.
Jørgen is a piece of work. The way he just assumes he can charm Poul's girlfriend is super cringey, and the movie doesn’t really treat it with the weight it deserves. It’s just treated as another layer of the 'weekend' chaos. I found myself wanting to tell everyone to just go home and take a nap.
Then Basse shows up. Thank god for Basse. He’s the only one who feels like he’s actually in a different movie, maybe one that’s actually fun. It’s like the writers realized the tension was getting too stale and just dropped in a cousin to fix the vibe.
It’s not as tight as The Mystery Box, which had that weird, frantic energy I actually liked. This one just kind of coasts along until it stops. It isn't a disaster, but it’s definitely one of those movies you watch once and then leave on a shelf for a decade. It’s fine. Just... fine. 🏎️💨