Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Stranger by the Lake is an erotic thriller set at a lake frequented by gay men. It stars Pierre Deladonchamps as Franck, a man who visits the lake often to swim and cruise men in the surrounding woods. While cruising he becomes attracted to Michel, a man Franck often sees at the lake with his boyfriend.
While cruising in the woods at the end of the day, Franck sees a man drowning another man in the lake. As the killer comes out of the water, he notices that it’s Michel. Despite knowing that Michel is a murderer, Franck continues to pursue him romantically.
Some Thoughts:
Stranger by the Lake has an interesting story that is slowed down by long stretches of beautiful scenery. We see wind blowing through trees, a calm and peaceful lake, cars arriving in the woods, naked men cruising. While the images are beautiful, they’re used too often and quickly become tedious.
Franck spends some time talking to Henri, an older straight man who recently broke up with his girlfriend. They discuss the central themes: gay relationships, sexual desire, and loneliness. While the scenes between Franck and Henri are a welcome change to the repetitive visuals, they don’t give enough insight into Franck’s fixation with Michel. And in the end, we don’t know who Franck is or why he’s so fixated on Michel. We also have no idea why he would seek a relationship with a murderer. And not only that, why doesn’t he go to the police?
The film also has male nudity and graphic sex. While it’s refreshing to see naked men who are not overly buffed or chiseled in movies, it would be nice to have that and a plot. Also, if it had more sex, I could brush it off as artsy porn, but there’s very little of it.
The Final Verdict:
Stranger by the Lake is promoted as a thriller, but the trailer has more suspense than the actual film. While Franck is in real danger, there’s never a trace of suspense. By the end of the film, you’re left wondering why you bothered watching it.
