Stranger by the Lake (2013)
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Review #1,387 |
THE SCOOP
Director: Alain Guiraudie
Cast: Pierre Deladonchamps, Christophe Paou, Patrick d'Assumçao
Plot: A cruising spot for men, tucked away on the shores of a lake. Franck falls in love with Michel, an attractive, potent and lethally dangerous man. Franck knows this but wants to live out his passion anyway.
Genre: Drama
Awards: Won Queer Palm & Un Certain Regard - Directing Prize (Cannes)
Runtime: 100min
Rating: Not rated (exceeds R21 guidelines)
International Sales: Les Films du Losange
IN RETROSPECT (Spoilers: NO)
“Guys who
sleep together, sure, but they've got a wife or girlfriend. Guys who are gay—I mean, really gay—are
pretty rare.”
One of the surprise hits at Cannes in 2013, winning
the Queer Palm and causing a stir with its explicit homosexual content (this
was also the same year with the controversial Blue is the Warmest Colour), Stranger
by the Lake tells not so much a story, but depicts a tranquil natural
setting that is not what it seems.
A car rolls to a stop and a man disembarks. He strolls through the woods towards the
lake. Along the way, clandestine
activities of sex are observed. On the
beach, most are fully nude, embracing the warm sun and cool breeze as they lay
down, semi-erect penises and all, on the sand.
In a naturalistic style shot in a nonchalant
manner, Stranger by the Lake brings
gay cruising to the fore in a subtle, non-voyeuristic way. It weaves a tapestry of men looking for sex,
romance or companionship. Many are
strangers, and their flings don’t last.
But this place by the lake continues to attract them—it is their last refuge
from a non-approving society.
Guiraudie's film doesn’t quite go deep into its
subject matter, but through its minimal plotting, a loose narrative involving a
mysterious case of drowning, privy only to the murderer and a witness, unfolds
with the audience having extra-filmic knowledge of the incident. This creates tension when an investigator
appears.
Much of Stranger
by the Lake operates as an inquiry into the nature of Man's feelings of lust
and fear. Can we desire someone whom we
don’t know fully? Or should we be afraid? This dialectical tension between two primal
emotions certainly marks the film out as a clear-eyed piece on the confusion faced
by Franck (Pierre Deladonchamps in his first lead role in a feature film), who
is torn between loving and wanting to love.
Very much routine in structure, Stranger by the Lake has that
aforementioned recurring motif of a car rolling to a stop in a clearing,
suggesting a new day for the ‘locals’, in pursuit of another meaningless
rendezvous. It is also a very
conversational film. There is small talk
that don’t mean anything, frank soliciting of sex, and deep dialogue on lonely
existences. Even the drowning incident
appears to not have affected anyone.
After a couple of days, everyone is back to enjoy themselves.
Guiraudie’s work builds up to an unforgettable
finale and haunting last shot, invoking elements of the psychological
thriller. By then, all sense of clarity
is thrown out of the window, as we immerse ourselves in a stretched moment
where it is not so much about the survival of the fittest, but the survival of
the surest. But sure of what? Indispensable love or disposable lust?
Verdict: Its tranquil setting hides carnal desires and
dark actions in this naturalistic outdoor drama about gay cruising.
GRADE: B+
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