The Weekend is a simple story told with directness. Luke (Bucci Franklin) and his fiancée Nikiya (Uzoamaka Aniunoh) get invited over to his parents for the weekend. This Nigerian thriller directed by Daniel Oriahi is heavy on atmospherics and bloodshed, playing on cultural traditions within a tribal community. That their visit coincides with an important annual event of a cannibalistic nature gives The Weekend an edge.
Putting his own twist on culture clash dynamics, director Daniel Oriahi explores discussions around allegiances to family, reflecting that back on the modern world, before embracing conventional genre tropes. There is a stylish self-awareness to The Weekend, that tips a hat to Eli Roth in the moments when Luke’s father administers old fashioned justice on his sister’s obnoxious boyfriend. A confrontation that may be signposted early on, but nonetheless, delivers without resorting to anything too gratuitous.
There is a claustrophobia to The Weekend that also gives this concise indie horror an additional layer of paranoia. The house in which this family lives has an armed guard that monitors visitors and weeds out those who might make a satisfying meal. Horror comes from a rejection of specific traditions, rather than anything more conventional. Feasting on human flesh in this context feels more like a toned down Cannibal Holocaust, where attitudes to the consumption of others feels more natural than eating other animals. That victims are chosen according to their lack of personal values, gives those people who carve them up the moral high ground.
This is one of the interesting aspects of The Weekend, since these cannibals have their own rules. However, rather than locking them up, they simply end up on the menu. Pitch black social commentary on this level deserves a bigger audience for maximum impact, while director Daniel Oriahi reveals himself to be a filmmaker of immense promise. That The Weekend loses its way a little in the latter stages and reverts to formula, rather than taking its bold premise forward is disappointing. Those quibbles aside, this film still has a directness that makes it worthy of further investigation by audiences after something unique.