hope is never mere

I want this to be known to posterity that “somebody” was me.

I told Sam who then told Charles, on stage, that they were in the same episode of Midsomer Murders, both getting married.

They were both amazed at the news from their past from, like, 2007 😅. I feel like I did something to heal the world a little, closed a gap that never deserved to be one.

Sam then kinda proposed to Charlie and their honeymoon remained a running gag. They were great together actually. They’d be great together in a project. Think about it.

Almost exactly one year after shooting started in Bavaria, the trailer for the US (and likely UK) release of The Weight is here! 🙌

The film had its world premiere at Sundance this year. Quite favorably received. The international premiere followed shortly after at the Berlinale, with a similar reception. People loved watching this, which I can vouch for, because I was at a screening there, among the applauding audience.

If you think that’s fast, going from first day of shooting to trailer release in a year, that’s because it is. Director Padraic McKinley pushed the edit and postproduction through within weeks, after having had his debut project in the works for about five years, I think.

When The Weight finally got made, it happened with German film fund money and in Germany, which turned out to be the most fortunate situation for everyone involved.

By all accounts, the month of shooting in the Bavarian Forest was one big socializing event for cast and crew, most of whom remember it fondly, if not as life-changing.

After following its making on social media last year, I’m kind of giddy The Weight is here now. Glad it’s this film that finally and fully convinced me that Ethan Hawke is one of the great contemporary American artists. This is a fantastic role for him. Russell Crowe, the other of the two actors whose names were granted prominence on the poster, has far less screen time than Hawke but manages to be charismatic af and elevate the film.

The vintage cars are the secret stars of the film, you can tell everyone driving these things is having a blast. The inventive score, another. The cinematography by Matteo Cocco as well. The Bavarian Forest does its mythical foresty thing. Costumes by Esther Walz give off Levi’s-commercial vibes, all workwear-denim chic, only muddy and eventually bloody. That’s several secret stars, then.

As for the actors, Austin Amelio, Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen and Julia Jones stand out. Avi Nash, Alec Newman, Avy Berry and Sam Hazeldine deliver. As does the rest. It’s rather a sausage fest. Julia shines brightly though.

The only thing missing is more time. There’s a lot of water in this film, giving the story a distinct psychological tinge, veering at times into the surreal. I’d have loved an even deeper dive into the themes it explores.

In the words of Austin Amelio: “Watch The Weight, it’s good!”

~

Release dates: 18 Sep 2026 (USA), 5 Nov 2026 (Germany)

Es ist mein 12. Jahrestag auf Tumblr 🥳

Whut?

Sam Hazeldine ist „mein Reim auf Schmerz“. My rhyme with pain. No other like him.

🎧: Gwen Dolyn - dein ist mein ganzes herz (Heinz Rudolf Kunze cover)

On the set of “The Weight”. Mid-July. Bavaria Studios, Munich.

Sam leaning fully into this soul ballad.