Don Birnam (Milland) is a struggling writer. Every day he bangs away at his typewriter, trying to compose something he can sell to meet the rent, and to keep his creativity alive. But instead of completing pages of manuscript, Don is only adept at finishing off bottles of liquor. Burdened with a severe case of writer’s block, he turns to alcohol for inspiration and emotional support. Wick (Phillip Terry), Don’s brother, tries to bring his sibling back from the abyss of alcoholic despair. Even the protestations of Don’s girlfriend, Helen (Jane Wyman), are not enough to stop the writer’s descent into a black hole from which he may never return.
The Lost Weekend is selected by Portraits of Recovery as part of a week-long series of activities here at HOME, including the free live performance Portraits of Recovery present: Apples & Other Fruits, and indoor gallery picnic and discussion, Portraits of Recovery present: Sustenance. Portraits of Recovery are a Manchester based, international visual arts charity. Founded in 2011 by Mark Prest, the organisation’s work supports people and communities affected by and in recovery from substance use to open up new ways of knowing and looking at the subject by working with contemporary visual art and artists.