The Lost Weekend (1945) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language

1945 · 101 mins · English

Directed by

Billy Wilder

Starring

Howard Da Silva, Douglas Spencer, Ray Milland, Willa Pearl Curtis, Jane Wyman, Frank Faylen

The narrative pulls back the strange, savage pages of a shocking bestseller to follow Don Birnam, a long‑time alcoholic who has managed ten days of sobriety and seems to have passed his darkest moment, yet his craving for drink grows more insidious. When he dodges a country weekend arranged by his brother and girlfriend, he spirals into a four‑day bender that could be his final downfall, one way or another.