Review of Stranger by the Lake (2013) by Ricardo A — 08 Apr 2014

Some of the best movies take you out of your comfort zone, unveiling a side of the world you barely knew existed and making the minutia of that world fascinating. 'Stranger By The Lake' does that and then some-focusing on a quiet gay cottaging spot by a lake (who knew?) where men sunbathe, swim, meet, flirt, & march off into the nearby woods for a quick, guilt-free fuck.

Franck is a young man on the look-out for fun, who spots hunky Michel who, unfortunately, has a hunk attached to him. However, when Franck sees Michel drowning said hunk, things take a turn for the disturbing.

Rather than turning him in, Franck embarks on a tense, and possible fatal, relationship with the killer, seemingly powerless to resist his magnetism. The skin-crawling tension is heightened by the claustrophobia of a film that never moves out of its lake-side setting, and bolstered by some unforgettable side-characters who are inevitably drawn into the mundane horror around them.

The lack of ambiguity as to Michel's actions makes this an unusual proportion, and coupled with the rather graphic sex scenes this isn't a film for those who prefer more traditional thrills, but for those willing to go down the rabbit hole it's a haunting, thrilling exercise in tension, and a genuinely fantastic film.