To an American audience, French films are known to be serious with touches of dark humor. Alain Guiraduie’s “Stranger by the Lake” succeeds in exploiting the art of French cinema through raunchy scenes, static shots and the themes of love and desire. The film won the best directing prize at the Cannes International Film Festival this past spring.

Franck (the main character) is a gay man who lives near a beautiful lake in a mountainous valley. The film is shot entirely at the lake and the surrounding woods. The lake area is known as a gay cruising spot and serves as a metaphor for sexual meditation / liberation and a solitude for personal reflection.

Franck frequents the lake and falls for a man named Michel. He obsesses over Michel and follows him everywhere in this secluded area. One evening, he sees Michel commit a repulsive act, but this act only intensifies his yearning for him. Franck is attracted to this mysterious yet dangerous individual.

The interaction between Michel and Franck shows the true characteristics of each character. It is obvious Franck is searching for a partner while Michel is just cruising the area, but still has a fascination with Franck (which could be attributed to Franck’s submissive character).

Another interesting character the director includes is Eric, a pudgy man in his 40s who just sits by the lake and stares blankly at the water. When Franck arrives at the lake every day, he always sits next to Eric first. Franck and Eric’s interactions bring up the theme of homosexuality. Eric is confused by the experimental nature of gays and would rather find solace in one individual. He brings up his frustrations with Franck who casually listens, but doesn’t really open up about himself personally. The actions of these two individuals epitomize the different lifestyles of gay individuals. Even though these individuals are gay, they contain a different set of morals and outlooks on life. Eric’s character defies the gay stereotype that every gay man is essentially just looking for a hookup and that there is a sense of longing for love in every person.

The film is shot in a simplistic fashion. Most shots are static shots (the camera does not move or pan) with little or no background music. Furthermore, the whole entire movie is set on the lake and surrounding woods. The simplistic nature of the film only facilitates the audience’s connection with the characters.

Overall, the film is an exceptional piece of French cinema. Any film connoisseur should definitely consider this piece. Despite the raunchy nature of the film, there are plenty of serious examinations of the characters and the meaning of life.