Overview
A chilling exploration of desire and danger unfolds by the water's edge.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- erotic
- austere
- darkly humorous
- arthouse movie night
- late night viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly acclaimed Alain Guiraudie's elegant, sexually explicit, darkly humorous thriller for its taut direction, performances, and thought-provoking treatment of desire and danger.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Franck witnesses Michel drowning his lover yet continues pursuing him sexually and romantically.
The lake, beach, nude bodies, sexual encounters, and drowning create a bright but persistently dangerous visual field.
The lakeside gay cruising area functions as both a refuge for sexual connection and an environment marked by isolation and limited concern for the murder.
Franck's search for anonymous intimacy draws him toward a remorseless killer while Henri represents a quieter alternative to compulsive pursuit.
Films like Stranger by the Lake, and why
The Swimming Pool
erotic thriller tension, voyeurism, and morally compromised desire
Death in Venice
psychological suspense, sexual obsession, and sunlit menace
The Living End
lgbtq+ desire, explicit sexuality, and psychologically charged danger
Weekend
austere queer drama shaped by cruising culture, alienation, and emotional risk
Movie Details
- Director
- Alain Guiraudie
- Release Date
- 2013-06-12
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (478)
Cast
- Pierre Deladonchamps
- Christophe Paou
- Patrick d'Assumçao
- Jérôme Chappatte
- Mathieu Vervisch
- Gilbert Traïna
- Emmanuel Daumas
- Sébastien Badachaoui
- Gilles Guérin
- François-Renaud Labarthe
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Metrograph, Strand Releasing Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Stranger by the Lake about?
- At a secluded gay cruising beach, a man's pursuit of an irresistible stranger becomes an unnervingly intimate encounter with danger.
- What is Stranger by the Lake like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Stranger by the Lake as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Stranger by the Lake violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Stranger by the Lake as moderate.
- What did critics think of Stranger by the Lake?
- Critics broadly acclaimed Alain Guiraudie's elegant, sexually explicit, darkly humorous thriller for its taut direction, performances, and thought-provoking treatment of desire and danger.
- Which films are like Stranger by the Lake?
- Films with a similar feel include The Swimming Pool, Death in Venice, The Living End, and Weekend.
- How long is Stranger by the Lake?
- Stranger by the Lake runs 100 minutes.
- Where can I watch Stranger by the Lake?
- In United States, Stranger by the Lake streams on Metrograph, Strand Releasing Amazon Channel.
