Shadows on the Wall | The Lesson

The Lesson

dir Alice Troughton
scr Alex MacKeith
prd Camille Gatin, Cassandra Sigsgaard, Judy Tossell, Fabien Westerhoff
with Richard E Grant, Julie Delpy, Daryl McCormack, Stephen McMillan, Crispin Letts, Tomas Spencer, Joseph Meurer
release US 7.Jul.23,
UK 22.Sep.23
23/UK 1h43

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Over-the-top melodrama almost upends this arch thriller, which simmers with proper tension thanks to the terrific central trio of actors on-screen. A flurry of power plays, hidden agendas, petty rivalries and lusty yearning makes it thoroughly watchable, driven by Isobel Waller-Bridge's jaunty orchestral score. Director Alice Troughton and writer Alex MacKeith over-egg pretty much everything, leaving the story feeling slightly unconnected. But the sinister vibe is terrific.

Aspiring writer Liam (McCormack) takes a job tutoring surly teen Bertie (McMillan) through the Oxford application process. Bertie's father is Britain's most beloved novelist JM Sinclair (Grant), and his French mother Helene (Delpy), whose sculptures sit amid the flashy artwork in their palatial house. After the first day, they ask Liam to stay longer, moving him into the guest house, where he watches everyone like a hawk. There's plenty to see as this family is still reeling from the suicide of elder son Felix (Meurer). And it's essential that JM's next novel is a hit.

We know Liam is aspiring because he has posters of iconic novelists on the walls around his room, as if they were rock stars. These kinds of silly touches pepper the screen, creating heightened surreal weirdness. The narrative twists to the breaking point with random revelations and story elements that feel contrived and pointless, such as how Liam seduces Helene, or maybe it's the other way round, following a quickly brushed-off moment between Liam and Bertie. Nothing quite makes logical sense, but this creates an enjoyably bonkers tone

While plot fails to hold water, performances ripple with nuance. The actors bring nuance that hints at all kinds of intriguing possibilities, which maintains our interest in the story. At the centre, McCormack remains likeable partly because he is clearly deluded that he's in control here. His fanboying about JM is increasingly tinged with warped ambition. Grant is terrific as the smug and blithely awful author, with McMillan's entitled brat a bruised chip off the old block. And Delpy shines as the sidelined wife who won't be put quietly in the corner.

The story climaxes in a fairly predictable explosion of gothic madness, which is depicted as an oddly strangulated storm of sex, violence and computer hackery. But some strong underlying ideas add moments of grounding resonance. So even if the issue of grief is casually brushed aside with a stiff upper lip, it still reverberates through everything that happens. This allows the movie to grapple with issues of artistic ambition, jealousy and expectations in ways that are wonderfully warped.

themes, language, violence, sexuality 7.Sep.23

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