A strange and intriguing drama that languidly moves into straightforward thriller territory, moving there like any character in the film who steps into the titular lake before heading for a swim in the deeper waters, Stranger By The Like is a film that works on at least a couple of different levels, both running parallel with one another without one aspect ever upsetting the other.
With the setting just as important as the main characters, as the title may have signified, this is a film set in a popular cruising area. Gay men hope to meet one another, either hook up or indulge in some of their various kinks (one man just likes to look on while he masturbates), and sometimes the thrill is increased by having a close encounter with a sexy stranger. Franck (Pierre Deladonchamps) eventually has a great time with Michel (Christophe Paou), but that comes after he has witnessed Michel committing an act of, well, assisting someone in their departure from this mortal coil. Things soon heat up, in more ways than one, but it’s obvious that Franck is willing to overlook a lot for the sake of this connection.
The kind of film that creates a sexy atmosphere via a mix of hot temperatures, tanned bodies, and moments of intimacy, it’s worth noting that Stranger By The Lake is also a perfect film to throw on if you want to enrage any pathetic homophobes you may have in your life. There’s a lot of male nudity, some unsimulated (I think) oral sex, and a consistently frank attitude towards pleasure and sex. As much as told through physicality as through dialogue, and there’s no sense of anything being rushed towards a conclusive ending (although it certainly doesn’t overstay its welcome).
Writer-director Alain Guiraudie does an excellent job with the material, never shying away from the nature content, but also ensuring that it always feels integral to the unfurling plot. This is a film with a dark heart, but it’s also a film about wanting to be with someone that you know has a dark heart. Is that part of the attraction, or is life too hard sometimes that people need to overlook some major flaws when they feel such a strong attraction to someone they can keep hold of for a while? This is what I felt was running through Stranger By The Lake, and the setting and sexuality of the characters are essential to the way that theme is explored. Because why would you rush to judge someone when you have spent your entire life already being judged by others? And why not overlook a crime when there are still so many places in the world where your own human nature is deemed to be criminal?
Deladonchamps and Paou are both excellent in the main roles, both giving natural and confident performances that show their trust in Guiraudie (who is no stranger to this kind of material). They work very well together, but Deladonchamps also has some enjoyable scenes with other characters around the lake, particularly a man named Henri (played perfectly by Patrick d'Assumçao). Jérôme Chappatte plays the other main character, an Inspector investigating the discovery of a dead body at the lake, and does very well with his small amount of screentime.
With the ambient sounds of the location, the sunshine constantly beating down, and the many moments without dialogue, this is a film that allows viewers to think things over as much as the main characters. If you come away from this with a reaction that is nothing more than “ewwwww, I saw willies” then the fault lies with you, not the film. Anyone mature enough to handle the nudity and sexual content will find a lot to appreciate here, and, while it feels very specifically tied to the sexuality of the leads, it also speaks to a desperate need for closeness and intimacy that almost all of us have experienced, at one time or another.
8/10
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