Stranger by the Lake
dir. Alain Guiraudie · 2013
Plot
Franck, a fit gay man, seeks love at a lakeside gay cruising beach. Among the mostly pudgy nude sunbathers, he befriends Henri, a depressed middle-aged bi-sexual who enjoys the quiet but accepts Franck's company. When Michel appears, Franck finally spots a man he'd like to know sexually. Unfortunately, he also spots him drowning his gay lover but opts not to tell anyone in order to consider having a relationship with this handsome yet remorseless killer.
Why watch
Franck spends his summer days at a secluded lakeside, where the sunbathers are mostly older men, and the atmosphere is charged with unspoken tension. When he witnesses a murder yet chooses to pursue a relationship with the killer, the film immerses viewers in a world of moral ambiguity and desire. Watching it feels like drifting through a dream, where beauty and horror coexist in the stillness of the water.