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REVIEWS
Stranger by the Lake
Writer-director Alain Guiraudie’s latest is a murderous love
story whose serene setting hides a darker purpose
BY JORDAN MINTZER
Switching gears after several
surrealist comic features and
medium-length works, French
filmmaker Alain Guiraudie delivers
a dark and, at times, absorbing
contemplation on love, sex,
desire and murder with minimalist
homoerotic drama Stranger
by the Lake (L’Inconnu du Lac).
Set entirely in one summery
location, this story of a man’s
infatuation with a local killer is
at once lighthearted and gloomy,
and despite some longueurs, it
provides a powerful critique on
the dangers of social isolation and
carefree living.
A veteran of the Cannes Directors’
Fortnight with such films
as No Rest for the Brave and The
King of Escape, Guiraudie’s been
upgraded to Un Certain Regard
this time, which could give
this more somber effort better
international exposure. Still, the
story’s tricky subject matter and
Franck
(Deladonchamps)
seeks male
company.
numerous sex scenes — some
of them downright hardcore —
may make it a tough sell beyond
the LGBT fest and art house
circuit, along with the usual
Francophone outlets.
Establishing the film’s breezy,
lethargic tone (which may be
too lethargic for some viewers)
from the get-go, the action begins
with a simple overhead shot of
cars parked in the woods — a
shot Guiraudie returns to several
times, in varying degrees
of meaning and intensity. Eventually,
we’re introduced to a
secluded beachfront beside a
beautiful lake, which is occupied
by a handful of men swimming,
sunbathing in the buff, and then
disappearing into the adjacent
forest to engage in anonymous
hookups and humping.
One of them, Franck (Pierre
Deladonchamps) reveals himself
to be a particularly sweet and
romantic guy, especially when
it comes to his infatuation with
Michel (Christophe Paou), a
brawny Tom Selleck lookalike
who spends his days doing laps
around the pond. When Franck’s
not gawking at Michel, he makes
small talk with a lonely husband,
Henri (Patrick D’Assumcao),
who’s less interested in exploring
his lakeside libido than in finding
simple companionship with the
other men.
But the tranquil atmosphere
quickly dissipates when, one
evening, Franck sticks around
later than usual and witnesses
a young man’s drowning at the
hands of Michel. The scene — a
lengthy sundown sequence shot
entirely from Franck’s point of
view — is altogether transfixing,
accompanied only by the sounds
of flowing water and rustling
leaves. It’s as if Guiraudie were
suggesting that such an act could
hold its own bizarre appeal, and
indeed, instead of running to the
cops, Franck decides to keep his
mouth shut and soon strikes up a
relationship with Michel.
Shifting from coldblooded murder
to carnal desire, the movie
then focuses on the burgeoning
relationship between the two
men — one marked by several
explicit lovemaking scenes, and
Michel’s growing suspicion that
Franck may be onto him. Meanwhile,
nobody else at the lake
seems to care much that one of
its regulars has disappeared, and
when a detective (Jerome Chappatte)
starts snooping around, he
observes their insouciant attitudes
and at one point remarks
aloud: “You have a funny way of
loving each other.”
It’s a strong indictment of a
lifestyle that Guiraudie seems
to both lionize and condemn,
highlighting the bucolic beauty
of the men’s nonchalant couplings
while at the same time
revealing how cut off from reality
they truly are. Franck is clearly
aware of this, but so caught up in
his passion for Michel that he’s
willing to keep up appearances,
until the story shifts to a thrillerlike
denouement which, with its
knife-wielding finale, is strangely
reminiscent of William Friedkin’s
Cruising — another movie about
gay decadence and serial killers,
albeit one with a different agenda.
Featuring pristine cinematography
by Claire Mathon (Three
Worlds) and delicately layered
sound design by Nathalie Vidal
(Beau Travail), Stranger by the
Lake invites you into its alluring
and peaceful world, only to
gradually uncover the darkness
beneath it. Likewise, the naturalistic
performances are extremely
calm, even friendly, which makes
the events depicted all the more
unsettling. As Henri, the sole
outsider in this cloistered world,
relative newcomer D’Assumcao
provides the film’s most moving
turn, serving as a silent watcher
to a place whose moral compass
has subtly spun out of control.
Un Certain Regard
Cast Pierre Deladonchamps,
Christophe Paou
Director-screenwriter
Alain Guiraudie
100 minutes
Coldwater Canyon
Estate
Spectacular Panoramic Views
of the Hollywood Hills
4 Bedrooms and 4 Baths
For information and private showings contact
Elizabeth Jones
tel: 714-403-4480
fax: 714-459-8317
e-mail: djfoundation@yahoo.com