*This is a New York Film Festival 2013 Review*
In Stranger By The Lake, men gather at the same beach every day hoping to find companionship and possible sex at the popular cruising shot. It all goes down right on the shores of a lake in France, with plenty of private wooded areas for the men to go and get some private action, if they can get it.
This is where Frank (Pierre Deladonchamps) has been spending his summer, seeking sex and love wherever he can find it. He strikes a friendship with Henri (Patrick d’Assumçao) a man recently recovering from a divorce who spends his days at the shore, but doesn’t physically romance with any men. Frank and Henri meet and chat briefly every day, before Frank heads off to look for some fun.
Things change for all involved once Frank meets Michel (Christophe Paou), a handsome man who could have been mistaken for a 70s porn star. He and Frank instantly hit it off. On that very same day, Frank secretly witnesses Michel committing an unforgivable act that has consequences for everyone on the beach whether they realize it or not.
Directed by Alain Guiraudie, the film’s happenings are confined to the beach and the surrounding area. We never leave the beach, and we only witness these characters as they are here. We see their cars parked in the lot and we see them interact with each other on the beach and in the forest. No where else. They may meet for beers after or grab dinner, but we aren’t allowed there. The beach brings out the true animalistic nature of these guys, and that’s what Guiraudie sticks to.
Guiraudie doesn’t shy away from showing anything, fully capturing the romance of these men in a full on NC-17 manner that may make some people uneasy. But it all comes with the brutality of the film and the happenings that occur there.
Frank naively ignores what he sees Michel commit, letting his feelings and desires get the best of him. He has to decide when and where to draw the line, before he gets hurt, or causes the others to get hurt. What starts off as a film about wandering sexual escapades turns into a thrilling game of cat and mouse only that the players don’t know who knows what or how much, until it’s far too late for them.
I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever seen a film quite like this. It’s use of one location and shows all mentality towards the sexual acts almost rivals a porn. It’s not for all audiences, but for those who want to try something different, there’s an undeniable atmosphere to the film that is unshakably interesting.
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