(2013, 97 min)
Country: France
Director: Alain Guiraudie
Studio: Strand Releasing
Language: French w/Subtitles
SYNOPSIS: Frank spends his summer days hopelessly searching for companionship at a popular cruising spot on the shores of a lake in rural France. One day, he meets Michel, an attractive yet darkly mysterious man and falls blindly in love. When a death occurs, Frank and Michel become the primary suspects but they choose to ignore the dangers and instead continue to engage in their passionate and potentially lethal relationship. Stranger by the Lake is an erotic thriller that tests the lengths and limits of sexual desire.
REVIEW:
Having snagged the Queer Palm Award at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, Stranger by the Lake has become one of the most anticipated and buzzed about gay films of 2014. That's with good reason. The movie is completely brazen in its depiction of wild, outdoor gay sex while blending stunning visuals with dark humor and Hitchcockian suspense.
Set at a single lakeside location of desirable beauty, the film follows Pierre de Ladonchamps as Franck, a lanky, attractive gentleman looking for a little fun in the sun. The beach he visits is frequented by the same rotating set of horny gay men who toss their clothes aside, refresh themselves in the water and cruise the adjacent woods in search of semi-anonymous action.
Franck strikes up a casual friendship with Henri (Patrick d'Assumçao), a "straight," middle-aged loner who comes to the beach daily to enjoy the sights, but rarely socializes and never enters the water. He enjoys Henri's company, but his attention is soon captured by Michel (Christophe Paou). Tall, macho and mysterious - with a killer '70s porn-stache - Michel seems like the man of Franck's most lurid fantasies. The good news: Michel seems equally attracted to Franck. The bad news: he's got a boyfriend.
That problem, however, doesn't last too long. Michel's twinky beau is soon found dead in the lake - and the local police inspector (Jérôme Chappatte) suspects foul play. Franck knows very well that Michel might be dangerous, but his lust and extraordinary infatuation get the better of him.
Connoisseurs of offbeat international cinema should find a lot to enjoy here, but Stranger by the Lake won't please everyone. It's deliberately slow-paced and leaves a lot of ambiguity where the story and character's motives are concerned. All of this comes together, though, to give the film a strange, otherwordly vibe. The sex is graphic and immersive; the dialog is cryptic and intriguing; and even though the film takes place over the span of several days, we, as an audience, never see the characters away from this single sun-scorched setting.
Writer/director Alain Guiraudie (2003's No Rest for the Brave) has crafted a gorgeous and titillating mindfuck of an erotic thriller to remind us that every paradise has a serpent lurking and waiting to strike.
-- Robert O'Neill, TLA Video (http://www.TLAVideo.com)
