Summertime. A cruising spot for men, tucked away on the shores of a lake. Franck falls in love with Michel, an attractive, potent and lethally dangerous man. Franck knows this, but wants to live ou...
Stranger by the Lake cruises around its taut water body with audacious yet empty eroticism. In the blazing heat of summer days, an idyllic destination turns into a popular cruising location for gay men. Some folk seek “no strings attached” acts of sexual pleasure in the wooded foliage surrounding the glistening shores. Others yearn for solidarity. A state of reflective loneliness, unable to confront the realities they live daily. Basking in the glorious sunlight, watching the primitivism of men envelope gay culture. Franck is a regular visitor, and finds himself attracted to a seemingly handsome yet minacious older man, Michel. But, when Franck witnesses an unforgivable act committed at the hands of Michel, his level of terror increases but unable to resist the sexual and emotive attraction that resides within. He falls in love with potential danger.
Guiraudie’s dramatic thriller is a subdued insight into the eroticism of gay culture, and the endangerment it can cause. The world today is plagued with applications and websites primarily organising dates, meets and cruising locales. Take ‘Grindr’, for example. Anonymous users can choose to meet up for chats, sexual interactions or potential relationships. Browsing through users who desire nothing more than a one-off session of intercourse with no emotive restraints included. It is, unfortunately, a quintessential facet of gay culture. Guiraudie compacts this aspect into a basic thriller by exploring the potential dangers of greeting strangers, particularly those that only thirst for physical interactions. Franck’s emotive response to Michel grows rapidly, yet Michel’s stubborn efforts in segregating the “lake” with reality produces a cold reply. Almost toying with the possibility of falling in love with the sexual pleasure as opposed to the individual. Incredibly palpable imagery that becomes more apt with each passing year.
However Guiraudie’s perspective both celebrates and reprimands the sexual nature of Stranger by the Lake, notably by featuring “unsimulated sex”. A presentation of scenes where the actors, in this case body doubles, engage in actual acts of sexual content. Whilst its explicit nature does not necessarily add any power to the narrative, and could easily have been simulated instead, it does elevate the audacious authenticity to the cruising. As hot as the humid tall grass that provides cushion for these intertwining souls.
However, for the unequivocal aesthetic that Guiraudie provides in Stranger by the Lake, its narrative content is unashamedly shallow. Much like the crystal clear water in the middle of the breezy woods, the purposeful lack of dimensionality within the characters does produce an emotional barrier around each individual. Franck for example is fairly straightforward, expressing limited confliction between his unstoppable attraction for Michel and the terror manifesting within. Henri, another regular visitor, introduced through a forced action from Franck that seemed convenient more than organic. The minimal relational connectivity between Franck and Michel, whilst harkening to the objectified bond between them, failed to produce any emotional investment for Franck in particular. Considering Deladonchamps riveting performance, this was a dire shame.
Another quarrel that faced me was with the eerie police inspector, waltzing around the beach in the most unprofessional manner available. Understandably the incognito presence was required to not stir up trouble, yet the absence of investigative formalities irked me more than intrigued me. And of course, the rushed violent conclusion diminished the majority of the staying power that Guiraudie had lovingly produced, by embracing a typical straight-forward ending that a basic thriller would exude. Unlikely and going against the smart character choices that preceded the event.
As audacious and beautiful Stranger by the Lake’s imagery emanated, thanks to Mathon’s cinematography, its shallow waters weren’t able to fully keep afloat its unorthodox techniques. Its narrative bravery and depiction of gay culture (naturism included) should be commended, even if not fully exploited.
