Film Review: Long Weekend (aka Nature’s Grave) (2008)

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SYNOPSIS:

Peter and Carla have a wasted marriage and constant friction. Peter buys expensive camping apparatuses and despite the protests of Carla, he travels with her and their dog Cricket to camp in the isolated Moondah Beach in the North Coast with his friend Luke and his girlfriend during the rainy holiday. Peter stops in a pub in the Eggleston Hotel and leaves a message to Luke with the owner of the pub. When Peter takes the shortcut to reach the beach, he gets lost and the couple spends the night sleeping in their truck. On the next morning, Peter organizes the campsite and disturbs the nature with his rifle. Along the two days, the couple deteriorates their relationship while the nature revenges the bad treatment.

REVIEW:

Peter pulls up in front of his home to find his mate Carla unloading a few cans of dog food in Cricket’s bowl. He gives her a quick lesson in why she can not just leave food like that for the dog then tells her to get a move on it since they are going to be late meeting his friends that they are going on a camping trip with. The car ride seems to be severely stained as Carla looks like she’d rather be anywhere but there.

Peter tries his best to cheer her up but things are still somewhat awkward. She grabs a pillow and tries to take a nap until they get to the pub where they will meet up with Luke and his girlfriend.

Peter goes into the pub and leaves a message with the bartender to tell his friends when they come thru that they just went on ahead and to meet them at the camping spot. After carrying his booze to the car they head on and bicker a little while it rains. Peter has to hit the brakes when he almost rear ends a van with a little girl peeking out the back window. He passes them and a little bit later they finally hit what they think is their destination. Cricket pops his head out the back to let Carla know that he is hidden in the car even after she specifically told Peter not to bring her.

They sleep in the car and in the morning when Carla wakes up Peter has set up camp for them. The weird thing is that Luke and his girlfriend never showed up but Peter just rationalizes that they must of went to the wrong beach and that him and Carla should just enjoy themselves with out them. Carla tries to put a smile on her face and goes down to the beach and plays fetch with Cricket. Peter takes a swim and you can see a darkened shadow slowly moving towards him under the water, is it a shark? Carla freaks and screams for him to get out of the water.

Later they are getting hungry so Peter grabs his blow dart type of gun and tells her he’ll get some fish. Carla smirks and as she passes by the tree the gun goes off just narrowly missing her with it’s steel arrow. Peter runs over checking their gun and strangely enough the safety is still on it so how in the hell did it fire? Is there someone out there watching them? Hunting them? Soon weird things happen like they keep finding dead things like a baby seal, and then later a giant sea cow. There is something very peculiar going on here but you just can’t put your finger on it.

As you watch you start to think of reasons why this place is deserted if it’s such a great vacation spot. Why is this happening to them? Is the land evil? Cursed maybe? Soon the couple is being so nasty to each other it’s a wonder they don’t just start fist fighting. Peter notices the van that he almost rear ended camped out over on a different spot all the way down the beach. I am sure he is wondering if they are having a better two days than he is. Carla starts screaming she wants to go home now and they fight over that. He says they can leave after they go talk to the other people in the van.

What Peter finds shocks him to no end and leaves his stomach in knots like a Philly soft pretzel. This couple is now fully losing their minds…but why? Carla hops in the car and takes off without him, she doesn’t care and leaves him there to rot. Will she feel bad and go back to get him? Does anything on this beach not have a damn death wish? You’ll just have to sit your ass down and see for yourself!