Hurry Up Tomorrow

Director: Trey Edward Shults

In Hurry Up Tomorrow we find a fictionalised version of Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye. Here as a man who is a “mess”, depressed and angry at the ending of a relationship. He has stress induced vocal problems, and is almost dragged on stage to perform by his friend and manager, Lee (Barry Keoghan). Alongside this is another lost and angry soul in Anima (Jenna Ortega) who has issues of her own. But when the two are involved in a chance meeting, it leads to a night neither expects and one that will change them.

Passion projects can be very dangerous things. Sometimes great but sometimes, like Hurry Up Tomorrow, can be ill disciplined, pretentious, nonsense.

There are plenty of problems with Hurry Up Tomorrow, but at the core of it, is a film that is not as clever and deep as it thinks it is. Much of the film is shot like a fever dream, mainly as a self pitying The Weeknd, mopes around about a lost love, who makes it clear in the voice messages we hear, that he was very much the problem. All his sadness represented by close ups and hazy lights covering the screen, none of which really works. It’s not helped by his irritating manager, played by the usually wonderful Barry Keoghan, but this performance feels like a real misstep.

All that said, it is not without some moments. All of which centre around Jenna Ortega, as the mysterious Anima, the film only really works or has any cohesion when she is on screen. Her character has issues and a story that would make a much more interesting film. The films only real highlight comes when Anima uses The Weeknds music as part of a bizarre but entertaining torture. And to Tesfaye’s credit his own performance is pretty solid.

Hurry Up Tomorrow, is a film that is not as clever as it thinks it is. It may have a message to share but that’s mainly lost in this nonsense fever dream. Jenna Ortega tries her best to save it but can’t and Tesfaye is solid enough, although less said about Barry Keoghan’s performance the better. While I didn’t hate it, Hurry Up and End felt a more apt title.