Very Gay Film/Very Straight Guy: “Stranger by the Lake”

For pride month, straight critic Ben Miller takes a look back at a gay film he otherwise would have never seen

When I decided to begin this series, I committed myself to not just dip my toe in. I needed to dive headfirst into the gayest possible film I could think of. It would be disingenuous to talk about something as tame or commercially viable as Brokeback Mountain, Carol, or Moonlight. This was going to be a celebration and discussion of something the straight world does not and will not seek out.

I chose correctly.

Alain Guiraudie's Stranger by the Lake not only features ample male nudity and graphic sexual content (including actual unsimulated scenes), there is barely a character that exists to do anything but experience gay pleasure. It's the gayest possible movie but played without an ounce of camp. This is a film that is unapologetically homosexual, but has so much more on its mind than just to titillate, provoke, or disturb.

Pierre Delandonchamps stars as Franck, a regular visitor to a nude beach and the surrounding woods. Known as a popular cruising destination, Franck befriends the lonely Henri (Partick d'Assumçao) while scoping out potential romantic partners. The mysterious Michel (Christophe Paou) catches Franck's eye while swimming. One evening, Franck sees Michel playfully swimming with his lover until Michel drowns the man.

Despite the danger, Franck still seeks out Michel, leading to a torrid romance. Continuing to meet, Franck ignores the danger over their shared passion, but is frustrated by Michel's lack of openness to anything outside of the beach. A visiting police inspector investigating the drowning increases the already simmering tension between the two.

This film could be used as a litmus test for how straight people can handle gay content. If you've seen the film, you know the sheer amount of male nudity, intimacy and simulated or unsimulated sex occurs. It's not something you can ignore for a moment or two. Guiraudie makes no attempt to appeal or even act like he wants to appeal to any audience other than a gay audience. His commitment to not shy away from obviously uncommerical content is admirable.

That being said, the filmmaker isn't looking for a strong reaction or to provoke. Guiraudie is not Lars von Trier or Gaspar Noé. This is a film with a deep thematic idea of what it means to be attracted to danger and what you actually want from a partner. Franck doesn't have any illusions about what Michel has done. He is perfectly aware of what he is capable of, but he can't stay away. The heart wants what the heart wants. Meanwhile, Henri contrasts his love for Franck as completely non-sexual. Franck wants the companionship from Michel that he won't give, but Franck also has no desire for Henri. It's in no way a love triangle, but the dynamics of attraction play a big factor.

It's not often you see a noir presented in such a way. The entire film takes place over a series of sun-soaked days on the same beach, predominately in the day time, with no score (or music of any kind), and no unnatural sound. Guiraudie never gives the audience the easy answer on how to feel, what to react to, or what the characters internal monologue should sound like. This is a film meant for adults to pay strict attention and let the vibe wash over you.

Let's not mince words about what the film's content contains. The numerous sex scenes are graphic in depiction, but not in intent. Despite this aura of violence hanging in the air, no violent content or assault occurs. All of the sexual encounters, while outside the heteronormative expectation, are completely consensual, at times tender, and presumably realistic. I certainly can't speak to the realities of gay sex, but I would imagine the variations presented in the film gravitate towards a realistic expectation of sexual encounters.

These sex scenes and the ever-present nudity eventually desensitize a viewer. It reminded me of Blonde, a much different type of film in just about every way. In that film, Ana de Armas is so naked so frequently, the novelty of celebrity nudity eventually faded away and left you with a feeling of numbness to the naked form. The sheer volume of full nudity from both Delandonchamps and Paou stops being explicit after the first 30 minutes. Eventually, it just fades to the reality the film wants to present.

Even if I wanted to recommend this film to another straight person, I would have to preface it with the knowledge of the film's content. Frankly, it shouldn't matter, but it will for a great majority of straight people (mostly men) who would watch this film. But, that's the film's superpower. It's not trying to appeal to a broad audience. When you speak about hidden gems, you generally talk about films where the audience never had the opportunity to seek out and take in a film. This is a situation where Guiraudie has no intention of mass appeal, so it allows him to make exactly the film he wants to make. No studio interference, no focus groups, no producers in his ear. This is true artistic freedom. The result is a very solid murder mystery without the mystery.

Stranger by the Lake is a very gay film, meant for a very gay audience. That doesn't mean a non-gay audience shouldn't find value in it. If you can get past the film's explicit nature, you will find yourself well-rewarded.

Next Week: Pedro Almodovar plays with time, gender, memory, and revenge with Bad Education

Comments

[Mike in Canada]

You're going to have such a great time with this series! All the best movies are super-gay!

I love Stranger by the Lake - if it wasnt so good, the explicitness would gave kept it out of the art houses, but its so great at this fireboding-yet-not-judgmental tone. The movie is as turned on by the danger as Franck is.