Stella's Last Weekend

Stella's Last Weekend, a 2018 film directed by mother and veteran filmmaker Polly Draper, stars real-life siblings Nat Wolff and Alex Wolff, as they explore the complex web of relationships, love, family tensions, and the painful yet inevitable process of growing up. The spontaneous charm, underlined by the palpable chemistry between the two brothers, sets this film apart in a saturated genre of family dramas.

Nat Wolff plays Jack, the elder of the two who has returned from college to spend time with his family after a significant duration. Alex Wolff plays Oliver, the younger brother still residing at home, navigating the choppy waters of adolescence. Jaguar, their beloved family dog, fondly known as Stella, serves as a symbolic thread that ties the family together.

The story is set in motion as Jack returns home to Queens to be a part of Stella's last weekend, who has been diagnosed terminally sick and has to be put down. However, the reunion takes an unexpected turn when Jack realizes that Oliver’s new girlfriend Violet, played by Paulina Singer, is the same girl he fell in love with while taking his gap year in Costa Rica. For Jack, his return was more about reigniting a lost romance rather than saying goodbye to the family dog, and this forms the core conflict of the film.

Stella's Last Weekend is a poignant, family-centric film dripping with nostalgia as it explores brotherhood and first loves. It paints an incredibly raw and heartfelt portrayal of familial bonds tested by time, secrets, and conflicting feelings. As the narrative unravels, it beautifully explores the nuances of sibling rivalry, guilt, loss crystallizing teenage memories while encapsulating the siblings' complex dynamics with sensitivity and realism.

At its heart, the film is about accepting change. It's about acknowledging that moving on doesn't mean forgetting but embracing the unpredictability of life. The narrative often circles back to Stella, the aging family dog, whose deteriorating health metaphorically symbolizes the transient nature of life and relationships.

But more than a story about a dying dog, it is a heartfelt exploration of the angst of love, familial bonds, coming of age, and the process of letting go. Like Beaches, Marley & Me, and Old Yeller before it, the film offers an emotionally gripping experience rooted in the unavoidable reality of life and death.

Paulina Singer, who plays the love interest of both brothers, embodies her character Violet, with an innate sense of vulnerability; she is someone fighting the war of her own while caught in the brothers' conflict.

Likewise, the chemistry between Nat and Alex Wolff is undoubtedly one of the film's strengths. Even when the characters fight or drift apart, their connection is explicitly visible, giving the brotherly relationship its authenticity. The simultaneous worship and rivalry that characterize their relationship have echoes of real life, undoubtedly due to the fact that the two leads are, in actuality, brothers.

The cinematography of the film appropriately punctuates the roller-coaster emotional journey of the narrative. The aesthetic suburban landscapes, the intimate indoors of a lived-in home, and the beautiful scenes of casual encounters are depicted with realism, making the visuals blend seamlessly with the narrative.

Stella's Last Weekend, with Polly Draper's expert direction, touches upon an array of emotions: humor, sadness, passion, youth, and regret. With its central theme endorsing the beauty of fleeting moments and the constant fluidity within relationships, it evokes a sense of melancholy and joy in the audience simultaneously.

The film, while dealing with inherently tragic themes, is injected with moments of light-hearted hilarity, making it not merely a tearjerker family drama but a wholesome cinematic experience. This delicate balance between tragedy and comedy is effortlessly managed, leaving a resonance with the viewers.

Stella's Last Weekend is a poignant film that offers a sensitive exploration of young passion, family tensions, and the process of growing up. It's a touching and introspectively stirring tale that expertly portrays the complex dynamics of family, love, loss, and maturation, resulting in a memorable cinematic experience.