Desire is the mainspring of the French erotic thriller Stranger by the Lake (L’inconnu du lac). As men from different walks of life converge on the story’s one and only locale, they enter a world removed from reality and time. The sun toasts their bare skin, and the atmosphere frees their inhibitions. The pebbly lakeshore is a waiting room where one shared glance or nod can lead to an afternoon of fleshly fun in the nearby woods. Nevertheless, the main character in Alain Guiraudie’s 2013 film seeks something that goes beyond mere hedonistic pleasure. And what he craves can only be satisfied by one stranger.
The film’s own limited sense of eternality comes from a combination of setting and activity. This open-air location is resistant to most of life’s changes other than the climatal ones, and it stands to reason that the lake will persist in this lifetime and many more to come. Then there is the obvious pastime around these parts; this side of the lake is a popular cruising spot for men. Physical cruising seems outdated in a Grindr era, and seeing the practice here suggests a period film. However, Guiraudie glosses over a precise timestamp for his story. The variety of fashion and cars, both vintage and contemporary, and the lack of electronics add to the ambiguity. And regardless of modern advances in hookup culture, people still engage in cruising in public spaces. Of course their reasons for doing so vary.
The protagonist of Stranger by the Lake, Franck (Pierre Deladonchamps), is immediately drawn to Michel (Christophe Paou) upon first sight at the nude beach. Other men make a play for Franck’s temporary affections, yet it is the mustachioed and almost illusory looker who seizes his attention. They initially lock eyes in the woods as Michel carries on with another man, but Franck understands the rules; he simply has to wait his turn. Filling the time until then are intermittent and platonic conversations with a fatherly confidant, Henri (Patrick d’Assumçao), as well as trysts with other men whose greatest appeal is their availability.
Stranger by the Lake bides its time as a thriller. Until one pivotal scene effectively brings this film a step closer to the realm of genre, Guiraudie doles out dread in small doses. An early hint of future events is Henri warning Franck about the possibility of a giant man-eating catfish. Henri might be mistaken about the existence of lake monsters, but his anxiety over something menacing lurking in the water is spot on. Franck is naturally dismissive, all the while overlooking the possibility of said threat appearing in a much more attractive package.
Guiraudie has gone on to say this film is not necessarily an allegory about HIV and AIDS, although an unseen killer targeting a community of sexually active queer men can and will be interpreted as such, heedless of what the director intended. In the past, film and TV wanted to address the prevailing reality, but they also failed to consider the unshakable stigma being attached to men who have sex with other men. Stranger by the Lake keeps the fear of unprotected sex in its pocket when one of Franck’s one-offs refuses to go past mutual masturbation. With Michel, the anxiety observed from his and Franck’s condom-free sessions has less to do with a fear of STIs and more to do with the fact that Michel is a murderer.
On a night before their first sexual encounter, Franck witnessed Michel drowning a former partner in the lake. The scene has a voyeuristic quality because the camera becomes Franck’s eyes; the audience has no choice but to step into his shoes. The victim’s screaming, the desperate splashing of the water, and Franck’s audible breathing all account for the film’s most effective and disturbing use of sound. This moment is especially unsettling because the camera stays on the crime, forcing the audience to not only keep watching but also feel complicit. Making the situation more complicated is Franck then continuing to pursue Michel, knowing full well he is dangerous.
The above scene steers the film in a new direction and introduces the thriller element. There is no mystery to be solved on the audience’s part; Michel without a doubt murdered someone. Everyone else other than Franck and Henri is still figuring that out, though. A detective named Damroder (Jérôme Chappatte) soon pops up at the lake and in the woods to remind Franck there is a killer close by, and to ask his whereabouts on the night in question. The main character is not forthcoming, possibly in an attempt to maintain his and others’ privacy as an outsider encroaches upon the area.
While this is not a whodunit, there are mysteries. More puzzling than a hookup serial killer is a character badly consumed by his desire and curiosity, and increasingly frustrated by the anonymity and detachment in his life. The audience is compelled to identify with Franck as he follows his passion and leaves safety for peril. What comes of his soul-finding is surprising. Stranger by the Lake is an exploratory film where the execution is both weird and elegant. This seductive microcosm of gay culture can feel like a dream even when it is acting more like a nightmare.
Horrors Elsewhere is a recurring column that spotlights a variety of movies from all around the globe, particularly those not from the United States. Fears may not be universal, but one thing is for sure — a scream is understood, always and everywhere.
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