The Weekend Away: Release Date, Cast, And More

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In theory, vacations are a time to kick back, relax, unwind, and enjoy the local scenery. But if your weekend getaway starts chill then nosedives into absolute insanity, you may be in the middle of an action-packed, edge-of-your-seat thriller. Unfortunately, this means relaxing is no longer an option, but on the bright side, you're sure to garner a massive audience determined to untangle all your dark secrets! Such is the case for the unfortunate protagonist at the center of Netflix's upcoming original film, "The Weekend Away." As you can gather from the title, a weekend intended to avoid life's typical annoyances will take some very unexpected turns. I'm guessing our lead will enjoy a solid 20 minutes of fun before the never-ending stress-fest kicks into high gear. My apologies to her and her life, but the more chaotic her story becomes, the more entertained us audience members will be.

"The Weekend Away" is a Netflix original, debuting to the streamer just in time for, you guessed it, the weekend! (Insert Daniel Craig meme here) The film arrives on March 3, a welcome addition to the jam-packed slate Netflix has queued up for 2022. The streamer's general plan seems to be utterly overwhelming subscribers with content — that way, we all become so abundantly aware that we can never possibly catch up, that we can't dream of canceling for fear of falling hopelessly behind. For at least a shining few days, "The Weekend Away" will be one of the newest releases on the streamer, and might even get some time in the limelight if it rides a hype wave into Netflix's Top 10.

Picture this: a gorgeous weekend getaway by the sunkissed beachside. Drinks! Waves! A break from responsibilities! It's almost too good to be true for Beth (Leighton Meester) — up until the part where her best friend is murdered and she becomes the primary suspect. Making matters oh-so-much worse, the weekend away happens to be abroad, in the beautiful country of Croatia. With her passport revoked, foreign detectives on her trail, and a city full of strangers surrounding her, Beth is unable to return home to her husband and child. Her only choice is to solve the mystery and clear her own name. 

If this sounds like something plucked out of a twisty summer beach read, then you clearly know what you're talking about — "The Weekend Away" is based on Sarah Alderson's bestselling novel of the same name. The novel has the ominous tagline, "Two friends go on holiday. Only one comes back." Based on the trailer for the film, this particular detail stays the same — but others are subject to change. Where the original novel takes place in Libson, Netflix has relocated the crime scene to Croatia, where Beth and Kate will face deadly obstacles. On the second day of their vacation, Beth wakes to find Kate gone and from there, her story derails down an intriguing path: "Brushed off by the police and with only a fuzzy memory of the night's events, Beth is her friend's only hope. As she frantically retraces their steps, Beth makes a series of shattering discoveries that threaten everything she holds dear."

"Gossip Girl" fans, rejoice! "The Weekend Away" thrusts Leighton Meester back into the spotlight as Beth, the unlucky woman at the center of this mystery. But unlike her Blair Waldorf days, Meester isn't exactly the life of the party this time around. Married with a baby waiting at home, Meester's Beth is wary about the trip abroad but eventually gets sucked into the excitement by her single friend Kate (Christina Wolfe), who sees the getaway as an opportunity for fun. Wolfe is known for her role as Kathryn Davis on the soapy Prime Video original, "The Royals," but she's recently gotten caught up in The CW's Arrowverse as Julia Pennyworth on "Batwoman." The film also stars Ziad Bakri ("Screwdriver") as Zain and Luke Norris ("Poldark") as Rob.

"The Weekend Away" comes from director Kim Farrant, who previously helmed the Nicole Kidman-led drama "Strangerland." The frantic film marked Farrant's directorial debut and had its world premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Her following feature, "Angel of Mine" starred Noomi Rapace and Luke Evans in a remake of the 2008 French film "L'empreinte de L'Ange." A psychological thriller with dark undercurrents, "Angel of Mine" is a fitting precursor to "The Weekend Away" which sees Farrant mining similar emotional material with a complex secret to unravel. The film is executive produced by Kari Hatfield and author Sarah Alderson. Producers include Erica Steinberg ("Kill Bill," "Night Teeth"), Charlie Morrison("Night teeth," "The Divergent Series: Insurgent"), and Ben Pugh ("The Courier," "The Girl Before").

THE WEEKEND AWAY is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that follows two best friends on a vacation gone awry. When one of them goes missing, the other must prove her innocence but her efforts to get to the truth uncover painful secrets.