The Long Weekend (O`Despair)

The grainiest gay movie of the year is also the funniest. After his love-or-loathe first feature Three Bewildered People in the Night, director-writer-producer Gregg Araki looks bound to win over everyone with The Long Weekend. For openers, there's double the drama and humor: His new film follows Six Bewildered People, but it's a breezier adventure. College friends Michael, Rachel and Sara--and their bemused lovers--team up again five years later for one long holiday weekend. Over three days they change their ideas and their partners even faster than L.A. nightclubs change names. It's twentysomething set by the light of a shopping mall, where all the characters are too doped-up or simply can't stop talking. If anyone can get wit or meaning out of them, it's Araki. The Long Weekend is what gay cinema ought to be--droll, detached, and undetermined. Note: The Long Weekend also chaperones this year's major theme in gay-male movies: bixexual melancholy. This is about modern youngsters who can't decide whether they crave relationships with the same sex, the opposite sex, or with their complete collection of The Smiths singles. None of Weekend's protagonists know what they want, but if Frameline installed armrest electronic pollsters, we would be sure to tell them.