Jack s
Falcon Lake, a coming of age film directed by Charlotte Le Bon debuted at the Cannes film festival in France in 2022, and appeared on streaming services in 2023, classified as a thriller/romance. This movie is nothing short of a masterpiece, and deserves more recognition within the film community, yet it remains ultimately unfound by many. My experience watching this movie was incredible, and has deserved many rewatches over the years.
Considering technicalities of the film such as cinematography, narrative, sound design, and overall feel, a comfortable comparison would be to Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me by Your name. Both films share a distinct aptitude in encapsulating the feeling of exploring pure, magical romance. Falcon Lake follows the developing relationship between Bastien and Chloe, young teenagers who meet at a cottage in the countryside of Quebec, and form an innocent, loving bond during Bastiens visit, while the narrative is haunted by something in the woods... Similarly, Call Me by Your Name plays on the story of love, and although slightly more complex in that sense, both movies demonstrate exactly what love should feel like.
Slowly but surely, Bastien and Chloe develop a strong bond between each other over the summer, which is portrayed exactly how I would expect the love story of young teenagers would go. The acting gave the sense that this movie was a raw documentation of someone's memory, almost as if this story had unfolded already in real life. I suppose it's just that–the acting is not forced in the slightest, and gives a raw experience of real love. Additionally, the cinematography just adds more to the feeling of the movie, showcasing a masterful understanding of it, making you realize what the power of scenery and colour can have on a person when telling a story.
It is said that music is half of a movie, and that much can be said about Falcon lake. Although music is seldom present in the film, after watching the movie, It is safe to say that they definitely knew when music needed to be added, and every time it was, I was simply blown away. Each piece seemed to be perfectly curated for each scene to once again as I have said before–exude the feeling the director was trying to portray in her mind. It is another crutch to make sure the viewer experiences the film in its entirety, and to feel it as deeply as possible.
The use of different strategies such as mise-en-scene, shot size, and photogenie are easily recognizable throughout the film. For one, the mise-en-scene is used extremely well, like scenes in the cottage for example, where a more rustic set is used with many wooden objects, knick-knacks for a homely feeling, and lack of modern technology (for the most part) which overall, made me feel as if the characters were more in touch with their life in the moment. The photogenie is used in wonderful ways. Most prominently, after Bastien and Chloe return to the cottage with Bastien throwing up in the toilet from drinking too much, Chloe draws a bath for Bastien. Bastien sits with his shirt off in the bath, and Chloe gets in the bath with him. With what normally would be taken as a sexualized scene, the photogenie displays a more motherly, caring role coming from Chloe, displaying a strictly platonic moment between the characters.
Citizen Kane, an older, yet vastly popular film was known for its deep focus cinematography. By comparing this filming strategy to Falcon Lake, both are similar in their often used (and well used) deep focus cinematography. Bastien, while attending a local lake party with Chloe, walks through the house that the party is being held at. Wandering through the crowd, Focal points include Bastien, wandering through the clump of people, and yet certain characters in the background have focus on them regardless of their unimportance in the movie. Once again, just another filming strategy employed enhancing the experience of the film.
I highly recommend watching this movie for anyone looking for a wholesome, heart warming, yet haunting narrative all at once, this movie gives it all. The unexpecting conclusion to this film will have you thinking for days later, wishing you could experience this for the first time again. Whether you are a film buff looking for another niche film to have under your “watch” belt to brag about having seen, or someone who simply appreciates art, and the precious innocence of young love, just give it a try.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/20/25
Full Review
Audience Member
We need more films like this.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
04/16/24
Full Review
Brian K
On the surface, this is a fairly typically Canadian film: small and slow and located in Quebec cottage country during the summertime. However, this film is special, slowly capturing an building friendship and intimacy between a 16 year-old girl and a 13 year-old boy; sexual intimacy is secondary, as more powerful drives of self-discovery, wanting to find acceptance and love in the often intense social world of early teens. The perspective is particularly Quebecoise, but mostly universally Canadian (and North American, more generally) of short summers in cottage/lake country. The director might have erred too much on the brooding and ominous aspects of the lake and woods, but this film is otherwise very well written, filmed, and acted.
In some ways this film is the Quebecois version of the similarly great Ontario-Canadian summer teen cottage movie, Sleeping Giant, but with a subtle but important supernatural element. Well worth seeing, and the subtitles are not cumbersome, as the dialogue is mostly light and slow.
The ending is a surprise, and a bit of a downer, but works well.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
04/16/24
Full Review
Catherine L
I was very disappointed and bored by this movie, the teenagers were irritating and the scenario opaque. Couldn't really get the horror story, and the ending is a bit cliché.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
04/02/24
Full Review
R.C. C
Rarely do you find a movie that makes you feel the complete freedom you felt just before adulthood. What a Masterpiece! Exquisite.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
03/29/24
Full Review
Anthony P
Good movie to watch on a Friday night. Somewhat spooky but it is actually a coming-of-age flick that entertains. Great acting by the two young leads.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/18/24
Full Review
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