The Lesson

This movie is a seven. Oddly enough, with better writing, maybe a stronger plot with the right twists and turns, this could've easily been a nine maybe even a rock solid ten.

The performances here are some of the very best of 2023.

Richard E. Grant. Has he been knighted yet? He needs to be. I have never seen him give less than one hundred percent in every role he's ever occupied. Even Spice World. Yup. Spice World. The last film that I saw him in, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, he was spectacular. In The Lesson, he again ascends to great heights. He shows the depth, maturity and wisdom to play a highly-respected author of contemporary English literature.

His gorgeous wife, played by the elegant Julie Delpy.

Delpy in Killing Zoe was a career defining and most memorable performance.

Not surprisingly In The Lesson, she is the petrol to the fire.

She and her husband, the brilliant writer share a massive and secluded home on a beautiful, rolling, presumably English (though it's Germany - I looked into it) country side.

They live with their youngest, university-bound son, Bertie, who is currently prepping for his college admissions.

Bertie is played by Stephen McMillan, and he is maybe the biggest, brightest star of the entire film.

Bertie lives in the cold shadows of his famous father and his recently deceased older brother. The only real warmth he receives is from his mother.

And so she has hired a tutor to assist in this lengthy and intense college admissions process.

The tutor, an aspiring writer with great admiration for the work of Grant's character and his process towards the craft. He's played by Daryl McCormack. A solid portrayal by a solid up and coming talent who has snagged a part in the upcoming 2024 sequel to Twister, Twisters.

And off we go!

Tutor and tutee grinding away on the reading, writing and interviewing aspects of the admissions process.

Deliciously presented dinners with the family by candlelight. Wining and dining. Rachmaninoff playing gently in the background.

The estate is breathtaking. Monet's Giverny it seems. Study sessions out in the fresh air off the garden.

Who wouldn't want this gig?

We soon find out, somewhat mysteriously, many.

Beware jobs with a high turnover rate.

Questions start to surface.

What exactly happened to the older brother, Felix?

And what happens to all of the tutors?

This is where the story should've really blasted off.

But it doesn't.

Punches are pulled.

It gives in and makes it easy.

This movie gets a seven because of all the incredible performances from all of the ensemble.

All of them.

Richard E. Grant is his generation's Ian McKellen.

It's true.

And one of King Charles' first acts should be to knight this fine actor.

"Good writers borrow, great writers steal." J. M. Sinclair (Richard E. Grant)

In director Alice Troughton's intriguing film, The Lesson, the three major characters of the film, viz, Sinclair; his art-curator wife, Helene; and Liam (Daryl McCormack), the tutor, are antagonists but of the very smart outer and menacing interior types. Because these enigmatic characters are performed by accomplished actors, it takes a while to figure out who's who, and what does each want from the other.

Starting with the above quote, each steals something like great authors do to manipulate the figurative stage of the elegant English country estate bounded by a pond with a notorious past. Namely, the drowning of one of Sinclair's sons, and his figurative presence that seems to affect each of them. The undercurrent of danger could be out of Poe.

As Liam settles into his job to tutor young son Bertie (Stephen McMillan), he is evidently obsessed with Sinclair's writing fame and vulnerable to Sinclair's criticism of his first novel. Liam is also vulnerable to Helene's charms as the plot thickens. Why such a bright young man couldn't anticipate the intrigues or why he signs agreements that need a lawyer's advice required my willing suspension of disbelief.

Writer Alex MacKeith never lets go of the notion that writing as a profession or art can send writers down a dark path. Sinclair has been working on this last novel for so many years that his fans think he has retired. Writer's block? Possibly, but the has enough demons to stop Shakespeare.

Isobel Waller-Bridge's score tinkles enough to suggest tranquility or at least art films in general. Anna Patarakina's cinematography captures languid summers at wealthy estates. Like the score, what's underneath is different from the accepted norms of the beautiful images. While the aforesaid Poe reminds us of the dangers in old mansion like The House of Usher, it is still a thrill to feel the tradition even in a modernized version such a Sinclair's. We learn from The Lesson not to accept anything for its surface. The underneath is what counts.

The Lesson is a summer delight far removed from the cacophony of blockbusters.

A film of two halves, if you like.

Is it a drama? Yes, kind of. Is it a thriller? It tries to be.

The first half sets everything up nicely and with plenty of dramatic tension, inner familial strife and forebodings about the water, sexual temptation and especially, plagiarism. So far so good.

Then we have the turning point about an hour in, and after that, all reason takes a holiday.

Are we to believe that Liam can remember the contents of a whole book?

Are we to believe that all this was planned from the start? Was the butler in on it?

I am sure that IT consultants everywhere were shouting at the screen about the 'deletion' scene.

Having said all this, it was well acted even though all the characters are quite reprehensible, and relatively well made with a decent first hour.

THE LESSON is a terrible title for an excellent film. It's an economically made film. It utilizes a small cast with only a handful of speaking roles. There are only two locales-a country estate (about 95% of the time) and a TV studio (the other 5%). The soundtrack orchestra is composed of only a few instruments. But it nonetheless comes off as rather classy. The situation is that a revered writer and his wife hire a tutor for their son whom they feel MUST be accepted by a prestigious college. The couple are both domineering. When they speak, it's an order. Their son is brilliant, but an emotional mess. The tutor is a handsome and articulate young man of mixed-race, who comes with sterling credentials (and is also an aspiring writer). The tutor lives in the house and sees a lot more than he would like to of the couple's private life. It turns out that a tragic event happened in this family five years earlier. What really happened and why? Gradually, one begins to see the complex web of relationships among the characters. Whose point-of-view should the viewer believe? This is an intelligent and challenging script, at times evocative of Tom Stoppard or Harold Pinter. The screenwriter, Alex MacKeith, is the real star of this movie. The cast are all fine, but I was a big Richard E. Grant fan to start with. He does not disappoint. Where I think the film falls short is in the pacing. It's a little flat. Every scene is played at the same level at the same pace. It could have used some peaks and valleys. It looks gorgeous though, with great art decoration and cinematography. Isobel Weller Bridge's musical score is just right.

The movie also has a lot of ideas about writing and writers. As Richard E. Grant's character says, "Good writers borrow; Great writers steal." There's a lot to this movie, but I don't want to spoil anything in this review. It would make a great double-bill with the documentary UMBERTO ECO-A LIBRARY OF THE WORLD. If you like Harold Pinter and Tom Stoppard, you would probably enjoy this movie.

This movie isn't a thriller, so don't go in expecting big twists or action; it's a quiet, slow-paced drama with a mysterious edge. Some are rating the movie low because the mystery isn't hard to figure out, but I feel like that is not the point. The movie is meant to be a commentary on grief, ego, and control. It's not so much "what happens" but more "why" and "how" it unfolds.

The setting is absolutely beautiful: a big manor by a lake, surrounded by greenery. Calm but eerie atmosphere. Acting is top notch, everyone is great, they really managed to get a great cast. The writing is smart, with lots of foreshadowing, symbolism, and literary references and devices that fit the movie's theme.

That said, I wouldn't give it a perfect score. The slow pacing is not for me, and a few character decisions felt off or hard to believe. It's not a movie I'd probably rewatch, but I was definitely intrigued the whole time and impressed by the actors' performances.