Stranger.by.the.lake.aka.l.inconnu.du.lac.2013.... [A-Z EXCLUSIVE]

( L'Inconnu du lac ), is a film that lingers like the heat of a midsummer afternoon. Part erotic thriller, part philosophical meditation on desire and danger, it remains one of the most provocative and visually stunning entries in modern queer cinema.

Here is where Stranger by the Lake transcends the thriller genre. Franck saw the murder. He knows Michel is a killer. Yet, he returns to the beach the next day. He does not go to the police. He does not run. Stranger.by.the.Lake.AKA.L.inconnu.du.Lac.2013....

: In the cruising world, there are inherent risks: STIs, violence, exposure. Franck knows Michel is a killer, yet he continues to meet him in the woods. Guiraudie brilliantly literalizes the “dangerous stranger” fantasy. Franck’s desire is heightened, not diminished, by the knowledge that Michel might kill him. The final, terrifying act of fellatio Franck performs on Michel (with Michel’s hands hovering near Franck’s throat) is the film’s most potent image: sex as a voluntary surrender to annihilation. ( L'Inconnu du lac ), is a film

The central tension arises when Franck witnesses a horrifying act: he sees Michel drown another man in the lake. Despite this knowledge, Franck’s overwhelming attraction to Michel leads him to ignore the danger and enter into a high-stakes sexual relationship with a potential killer. Critical Highlights Stranger by the Lake – review - The Guardian Franck saw the murder