Stranger by the Lake

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Stranger by the Lake

2013

1h 37m

Drama

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

101 Reviews

65%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Franck falls in love with Michel, an attractive, potent and lethally dangerous man.

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Critics Consensus

Sexy, smart, and darkly humorous, Stranger by the Lake offers rewarding viewing for adult filmgoers in search of thought-provoking drama.

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Tirdad Derakhshani

Philadelphia Inquirer

A stunning minimalist erotic thriller that explores with arresting photography and economical use of dialogue how human identity is defined, and sometimes imprisoned, by our desires, drives, and passions.

Rated: 3.5/4

Mar 14, 2014

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John Hartl

Seattle Times

Carefully and often brilliantly creates its own Eden-like universe.

Rated: 3.5/4

Mar 6, 2014

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Stephanie Merry

Washington Post

What sets the engrossing "Stranger by the Lake" apart is that its excesses seem to point to a moral purpose beyond shock or entertainment value.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 6, 2014

Full Review

Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

A gorgeously shot, sexy little chiller about the lengths we will go to stay in a relationship, no matter how toxic we know it to be.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 2, 2023

Full Review

Joe Lipsett

Horror Queers Podcast

An essential queer horror text that tackles cruising, sex and death, voyeurism, body image, gay microcosms, STIs, toxic relationship, homophobia, and gay friendships.

Rated: 4.5/5

Sep 27, 2023

Full Review

Paul Lê

Bloody Disgusting

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.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 20, 2023

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vuesguk

I don't like it.....This movie was disappointing

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/13/23

Full Review

PridePosterStudios

If there was a lifeguard in this film he could have waved all the red flags

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/26/24

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Mike H

Beautiful cinematography for a porn flick. Oh yeah, there's a lame murder thrown in as a subplot.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/01/23

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marc r

An authentically Hitchockian thriller. Desire and death embrace in the daylight

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

johann m

🇫🇷 🏳️‍🌈Dans un lieu de détente pour hommes, niché au bord d'un lac, Franck tombe amoureux de Michel, un homme séduisant, puissant et mortellement dangereux. Franck le sait, mais il succombe à sa passion. A stunning erotic thriller with a fantastic cinematography and a very compelling and intriguing plot. Very spot-on acting by the main characters, especially because of the limited dialogue. The slow pace allows for an entertaining view and it might be a bit explicit at times, but the suspense of the story and the reflection on loneliness and isolation are far more interesting.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

william k

Austere, but intense crime mostly set in a singular location is fascinating for its audacity, although the unnecessarily sexually explicit scenes are a bit off-putting.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Alain Guiraudie

Director

Pierre Deladonchamps

Franck

Christophe Paou

Michel

Patrick d'Assumçao

Henri

Jérôme Chappatte

Inspecteur Damroder

Mathieu Vervisch

Eric

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Critics Consensus: Guess I, Frankenstein‘s Tomatometer

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Synopsis

Franck falls in love with Michel, an attractive, potent and lethally dangerous man.

Director: Alain Guiraudie
Producer: Sylvie Pialat, Benoît Quainon
Screenwriter: Alain Guiraudie
Production Co: M141 Productions, Les Films du Worso, arte France Cinéma, Films de Force Majeure
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 26, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $324.9K
Runtime: 1h 37m

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