3 Day Weekend Review | A Uniquely Silent Mystery Thriller

Deep in the woods, amateur camper Ben Boyd becomes lost after discovering a kidnapping badly off the rails. With only the victim’s phone and some freaky polaroids for clues, he sets out to find and rescue her. But every time the story switches to a different character’s point of view, the whole story seems to start over. A kidnapping? A post-prison rendezvous? Revenge? What’s actually happening in the woods on this 3 Day Weekend is only clear when the final puzzle piece snaps into place.

Starring Morgan Krantz (“In the Dark”), Maya Stojan (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”), Nathan Phillips (“Wolf Creek,” “Snakes on a Plane”) and Scott MacDonald (“Jarhead”)

— Sleepercell Films

3 DAY WEEKEND is fast paced mystery thriller that did not give me much time to breathe. The story unfolds from the perspective of four characters who all seem to have fallen into a situation that they had prepared for none of the events that ended up occurring. It feels like no one character is in control of what is going on. The film leads you down a labyrinth like a mouse chasing down a piece of cheese and when you finally get to the prize, its the best piece of cheese you ever had. Directed by Wyatt McDill, 3 DAY WEEKEND was worth every penny.

Ben lying in his tent with Walden by Henry David Thoreau. This shot hints at the themes of 3 DAY WEEKEND.

The film has a gimmick, although I hesitate to use the word as you would think, there is no dialogue. Well, that isn’t exactly true. There is very, very little dialogue and it is used only when very, very needed. The film uses text messages from cell phones on the screen to help the story along and it all feels very natural. I really enjoyed the use of technology in the film. The fact that everyone uses their phone as a flashlight feels real as hell. I think that the more a character feels like a real person in a thriller, especially, the more you feel their emotions and attach yourself to them. This film knocked all of that out of the park. The actors are forced to be more expressive because of the lack of dialogue and this group of actors played it well. There are many points in the film where I got a Coen brothers vibe in the best way possible. I have to give high marks to Scott MacDonald who is terrifying throughout the film.

You know that a mystery film is fantastic is when you can put it all back together yourself, even without watching it a second time. The movie gives away everything if your paying attention but you cant pay attention because of the perspective of the film. The visuals are what keep the film rolling along at such a fast pace. The camera is almost exclusively handheld and it adds to the film in a major way. Keeping so close to the characters you really feel like you inside their heads the entire time. The film slows down as the second act comes to a close and the pacing suffers a bit but it seems intentional. There is that moment in the film where you think that all hope is lost and the film is not going to reveal everything that happened and you will always have those nagging questions but alas, dear readers, it ties the bow up in a very satisfying way.

Clever use of cellphones in the film help keep the suspense up.

I can’t recommend this film enough, especially to film fans that are looking for something out of the box. The film feels very different from others in the genre because of it’s limited use of dialogue. It hit all the right marks and the “indyrific” and low budget charm of the film only adds to the enjoyment. It feels like the kind of movie you would have made with your friends after watching MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, except you don’t have any where near the budget. You grab you four best friends and go film your best ideas and they all end up working.