Gap Weekend – Life as We Know It
Director: Todd Norwood
Writer: Todd Norwood (Screenplay)
Starring: Art Hall, Rosie Koocher, Nicola Graham, Robb Padgett, David Shofner, Sara J Stuckey
Plot: A heartbroken guy befriends an offbeat girl after posting his dating manifesto online. As the two spend a weekend together in a pretend relationship, a connection grows that may both heal and complicate aspects of their real lives.
Runtime: 1 Hour 23 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Gap Weekend starts as we meet Ben (Hall) who has been going through heartbreak, which will see him living with his sister Sandy (Graham) and her husband Oliver (Padgett). Getting on the nerves of his sister, Ben finds himself writing up a manifesto for a Gap Weekend, not a date, just a step away from life with a stranger.
Ben finds himself getting a string of random replies, mostly prostitutes, he is about to give up on that, when he gets a reply from Emily (Koocher). The pair go on the gap weekend away from their current lives, as friends approaching meeting strangers in a way that takes away any pressure of dating.
Thoughts on Gap Weekend
Characters & Performances – Ben is the heartbroken man, lost in direction after his marriage fell apart, he has lost his motivation for his travel blog, leading him to write up a drunken manifesto about an ideal way of meeting someone, without making it a full date, just a way to relax and meet someone new in life. Art Hall does bring us a character that could easily be anyone of us, struggling with love, he will bring the sympatric side, while also showing how being around this person could be annoying, even if you know people are trying to help. Emily is the woman that answers the ad manifesto, she wants to see where this gap weekend will go, offering Ben the weekend he needs to just meet someone new in life. She does hold a lot of information about herself, but everything she does, is used to help Ben find something more in his life. Rosie Koocher brings us an honest figure, someone that wants something from the weekend too, someone who is in a similar position to Ben in life, knowing the right weekend can fix everything. When it comes to the supporting cast, we only meet a few characters, being friends and family that have been around to support Ben, looking to push him into something new.
Story – The story here follows a heartbroken man whose marriage has fallen apart, that looks to create a manifesto on a perfect weekend away, a gap weekend from life, a chance to meet someone new, without any of the commitments of a relationship. This will see him spend the weekend with a stranger, where they can talk life, love and loss, in a friendship style, rather than an attempt to impress. This is a clever way to approach the old ‘get back on the horse’ attitude towards relationships, showing how difficult it can be to find the right person in life, giving us a fresh way to approach a relationship. Proving that in life, it is the strangest interactions that could be the thing that pushes you out of a slump, looking to motivate you or even find a new love.
Themes – Gap Weekend will gives us a weekend getaway looking at some of the more secretive beauty spots in the local area, with a comic tone to handle how the journey is presented. It will be used as a life reflection journey, one where Ben could discover his love of life again, one that showed us that we can find excitement in the things we love.
Final Thoughts – Gap Weekend is a delightful look at how people can find their desire for life again.
