Known for her work across television and commercials, actor and writer Nora Kirkpatrick makes her feature debut with comedy drama, Couples Weekend. Set within a snowcoated mountain landscape, the intimate plot centres around Debs (Alexandra Daddario), her husband Josh (Daveed Diggs), her old pal Mitch (Josh Gad), and his wife Melanie (Ashley Park) as they retreat to a cosy log cabin to ring in the new year. On their morning walk where a tree mysteriously falls in the woods, Debs and Mitch return to spot Josh and Melanie sleeping with each other through the bedroom window – later, the discovery of an old bottle of moonshine sees their trip spiral further out of control.
Unravelling across just a couple of days in predominantly a singular location, there’s an intense theatricality to Kirkpatrick’s narrative that would work well on stage as well as on screen. She makes great use of the space with gentle lighting cast over thick blankets and knitted sweaters. The warm orange hue of the cinematography makes way for ice-chill blues as conflict begins, coinciding with the breakdown of their boiler. Tapping into societal anxieties of all involved, the dialogue-driven script is excellent; often when these chamber pieces become alcohol-fuelled, the story can also go a little awry but, in this instance, the writing remains sharp and level-headed, even when the characters are far from it.
The central foursome are millennial archetypes to a degree; a struggling writer, a self-serious photographer, a shallow influencer, and a finance schlub that can’t believe his luck. They are brought to life brilliantly by this tight ensemble, each of them enjoying moments of both comedy and drama. Aside from the marriages at stake, the longstanding friendship between Debs and Mitch is crucial and this is believably captured. Gad, in particular, is fantastic in this – oozing with insecurities but energetic and very funny with it, this is arguably his greatest turn to date.
If you discover an affair in the woods but nobody hears the truth, did it actually happen? Couples Weekend is a playful and hilarious study of modern relationships which marks an impressive directorial debut from Nora Kirkpatrick.
Couples Weekend is yours to own from Jul 13. Distributed by Signature Entertainment
Cinema Perspective 