Review of Stranger by the Lake (2013) by Graham B — 02 Mar 2014

Cinematically beautiful, slightly laboured script with some 'interesting' translation, acute characterisation, suspenseful, repetitive, with much front and rear male nudity, including ejaculation in the version I saw at a film festival. I doubt that will stay in if this gets the wider release it deserves.

So, perhaps not one to take your mother to see, but intriguing. Why does the principal character Franck stay once he has seen something in the dark? What does Henri get out of his friendship with Franck? What happened to Michel and Franck at the end? Love, attention and we'll never know are my responses to those questions, though others may think otherwise. The viewer is allowed to make up their own mind. Hence not a film for those who want to be spoon fed, rather than engage their brain. Recommended.