Review of Stranger by the Lake (2013) by Warwick B — 09 Mar 2014
French arthouse murder mystery about a killing at a gay cruising spot on the shores of a picturesque lake by writer/director Alain Guiraudie.
The film's lead young, romantic Franck (Pierre Deladonchamps) spends his summer days hopelessly cruising the beach for love. He befriends lonely, overweight Henri (Patrick d'Assumcao), but desires 70s moustachioed Michel (Christophe Paou), whom he sees murder a conquest, drowning them in the lake. What Franck witnesses only heightens his infatuation for Michel whom he must have whatever the cost.
The film is a mix of Hitchcockian thriller and gay culture study. Sexually explicit but not pornographic, it is an exploration of gay desire. It is not about sex but rather the complexities and danger in the search for understanding, love and commitment.
This review of Stranger by the Lake (2013) was written by Warwick B on 09 Mar 2014.
Stranger by the Lake has generally received positive reviews.
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