Stranger by the Lake is a strange and curious film that immerses viewers in a eerie, uncomfortable, and yet undeniably erotic atmosphere from start to finish. It's a murder mystery, yes, but the film - from French director Alain Guiraudie - stands out because its plot hinges on a group of gay men who mingle, interact and have sex around a summertime lake, and also because the mystery element is revealed to the main character early on and audiences are left to bathe in the consequences of the situation. The basic story concerns a man named Franck, who visits the lake in search of sexual gratification, and soon finds himself falling for a handsome stranger called Michel. Franck, enamoured, later witnessed Michel as he kills another man, but is so awed by the stranger that he chooses to kept it a secret so that they may enter into a relationship. The tension of the picture only increases from then on, but director Guiraudie still manages to take time out to depict the erotic acts occurring around the lake in a frank and graphic way.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.