Stranger By the Lake

Alain Guiraudie’s very adult, and very nuanced, meditation on the convergence of eroticism and danger, particularly in queer communities, opens as a sweet, if melancholy, summer drama before taking a decidedly dark turn. Set at a well-known cruising spot on a lake in rural France, the film charts the unlikely kinship between broken-hearted, ostensibly-straight Henri, and the young, gay and beautiful Franck. Their budding friendship is put to the test when it seems the object of Franck’s lust and affection, Michel, may be a brutal serial killer. Beneath the tranquil surface of the seemingly idyllic pastoral setting lies a constant sense of unease which ripens with each slaughter or sexual encounter over the course of the film until finally Henri, Franck, and Michel’s dangerous game bursts open.

Featuring an introduction by NewFest Director of Programming Nick McCarthy preceding the screening on Wednesday, August 21.