a short film by Matthieu Salmon 2007 | 16 mins | France ›› Weekend in the Countryside - Week-end à la Campagne man's best friend turns nasty when rejection turns to revenge Fans of the work of rising French star Théo Frilet of Born in 68 and One Day in Summer credit, will no doubt be delighted to see the UK DVD premiere of Week-end à la Campagne, courtesy of the good folks at Peccadillo Pictures. For here Frilet stars as Pierre; a young man of melancholy mind whose hopes for a relaxing weekend in the countryside with his best friend Marc are cast to the mistral, when he learns that the secluded farm house of his host, is home to a pack of unruly dogs. Only just as Marc comes to discover that Pierre lives in fear of man's best friend, Pierre comes to find Marc offering him the outstretched, but promptly shunned, hand of homosexual affection. Yet in inviting Pierre for a swim in the outdoor pool thereafter, surely Marc is not the type to turn rejection into revenge, after all those dogs are tied up - aren't they? Complete with sun-drenched shots of the lush French countryside, coupled with the odd surreal insert, writer and director Matthieu Salmon here delights in charting the relationship between two close friends, that come the end of weekend and indeed the short itself, is - well that would be saying. And that's just the point, for what is said is in short supply, a lack of words that prompts heavy reliance on the understated performances of its two stars, given Jean-Claude Dumas' role of the father of the piece, is nearly all but cinematic background. Yet the end result is something of a curious laconic affair, for whilst a work on phobias and inparticular the fear of dogs, its bittersweet edge makes for a well-executed, if unnerving experience, one clearly not for those of a cynophobic disposition! available on DVD as part of the Peccadillo Pictures catalogue - 'Boys on Film 2: In Too Deep' release. starring: Théo Frilet, Pierre Moure and Jean-Claude Dumas. Copyright 2009 David Hall - www.gaycelluloid.com. archive reference #232 ›› previous page | back to top | print me ‹‹