内容摘要：for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at

for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at

” where, ironically, it arrives too late. The tedium of an incoherent first act paints the charismatic performer — one of the last few decades’ most popular — as an unempathetic protagonist in a nonlinear and nonsensical world.But how much of The Weeknd is here, really? In his first leading role in a feature film, directed by Trey Edward Shults, Tesfaye plays a fictionalized version of himself, an insomniac musician (as made explicitly clear in the “Wake Me Up” leitmotif, where he sings, “Sun is never rising / I don’t know if it’s day or night”). He’s marred by a recent breakup from an ex portrayed in a cruel voicemail message (“I used to think you were a good person,” she says) and a hedonistic lifestyle, instigated by his superficial friend-manager Lee, played Barry Keoghan.

Shortly after Tesfaye loses his voice, a psychosomatic ailment, he meets superfan Amina, portrayed byShe offers temporary comfort and, in return, is afforded no agency. She exists for him. Soon, the uninspired horrors begin, culminating in what recalls the torture scene inwith less violence. Instead, Amina — when she is not weeping; I urge all viewers to keep a “cry count” and consider what feminist blogs might have to say — lip-syncs some of The Weeknd’s biggest hits back to him, explaining that they’re all about “emptiness and heartbreak.” Woven throughout is some conversation about absent fathers and fear of abandonment, with unearned delivery and first-draft acuity — something gesturing at depth without piercing the surface.

According to press materials, Amina and Lee are not real people but representations of Tesfaye. She is meant to represent Tesfaye’s disconnected, “deeper emotional self” — and Lee, his public persona. That is not made explicitly clear in the film, except in a very generous reading of the ending. Subtext only works when there is context to back it up, otherwise, you are left with “Hurry Up Tomorrow”: an exciting vanity project with surrealist imagination but stiff writing, no stakes, limited emotional weight and an unclear narrative.That won’t be an issue for superfans, of course — those intimately familiar with The Weeknd’s music and career. This film appears to be for them and Tesfaye, a producer, alone; they have the framework in which to enjoy the runtime. Considering that fandom is the dominant form of popular culture, it’s not a bad business decision.

And it’s worked for him before. This is not Tesfaye’s first foray into acting. Aside from his

” He co-created the show with Sam Levinson, a show that similarly presented unearned provocation. At the time, “The Idol” received criticism for its sadomasochistic storytelling that emerged after a shift away from “the female perspective,” allegedly a request from Tesfaye. It was not a clever or subversive show, nor was it really even about anything, but it did inspire conversation. It’s easy to see how “Hurry Up Tomorrow” may have similar effects.And then back on the plane, the group is strafed by a fighter jet. Soon, it’ll be revealed that one of them is a mole. We won’t tell you who, although it’s hard to tell if anything is really a spoiler here — like the part when Benedict Cumberbatch appears with a very fake beard as Uncle Nubar, who may be someone’s father or may have killed someone, and engages in a slapstick fight with Korda, complete with vase-smashing.

We also shouldn’t tell you what happens with the big ol’ scheme — it was all about the journey, anyway. And about Korda and Liesl, who by the end have discovered things about each other but, even more, about themselves.As for Liesl, at the end, she’s clad stylishly in black and white — but definitely not in a habit. As someone famously said about Maria in “The Sound of Music": “Somewhere out there is a young lady who I think will never be a nun.”

“The Phoenician Scheme,” a Focus Features release, has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association “for violent content, bloody images, some sexual material, nude images, and smoking throughout.” Running time: 101 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.A blender. A lawn mower. A ceiling fan. A garden rake. A vending machine. An MRI scanner.