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What is the plot of The Lost Weekend?

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Billy Wilder poses in a suit and hat, leaning against a streetlamp with a sign reading Sunset Blvd. in a promotional photo for the film Sunset Boulevard. — Billy Wilder Billy Wilder in a promotional photograph for *Sunset Boulevard* (1950), which he directed.

Directed by Billy Wilder, The Lost Weekend (1945) is a stark and harrowing cautionary tale that depicts one man’s intense struggle with alcoholism. The film features Ray Milland in a career-defining performance as an aspiring writer whose severe drinking binge over the course of a weekend nearly results in his death.1

The film was highly acclaimed, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture, while Milland earned the award for Best Actor and Wilder received the award for Best Director.1