X
In Theaters Now
- 2023
- R
- Bleecker Street Media
- 1 h 43 m
- 2023
- R
- Bleecker Street Media
- 1 h 43 m
Summary Liam (Daryl McCormack), an aspiring and ambitious young writer, eagerly accepts a tutoring position at the family estate of his idol, renowned author J.M. Sinclair (Richard E. Grant). But soon, Liam realizes that he is ensnared in a web of family secrets, resentment, and retribution. Sinclair, his wife Hélène (Julie Delpy), and their son...
Directed By: Alice Troughton
Written By: Alex MacKeith
In Theaters Now
- 2023
- R
- Bleecker Street Media
- 1 h 43 m
- 2023
- R
- Bleecker Street Media
- 1 h 43 m
The Lesson
62
6.6
Where to Watch
Summary Liam (Daryl McCormack), an aspiring and ambitious young writer, eagerly accepts a tutoring position at the family estate of his idol, renowned author J.M. Sinclair (Richard E. Grant). But soon, Liam realizes that he is ensnared in a web of family secrets, resentment, and retribution. Sinclair, his wife Hélène (Julie Delpy), and their son...
Directed By: Alice Troughton
Written By: Alex MacKeith
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
62
50% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
39% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
11% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
62
50% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
39% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
11% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Unfolding with a tonic intelligence and a slow accretion of menace, Alex MacKeith’s screenplay is smoothly in sync with the specific skills of each performer.
The Lesson is a quiet little film with surprisingly sharp teeth.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 7 User Ratings
6.6
57% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
29% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
14% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 7 User Ratings
6.6
57% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
29% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
14% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Alice Troughton's The Lesson doesn't shock but it surprised me because I wasn't expecting much. The script is solid, and the performances exhibit ample strength, presenting more genuine characters than I had foreseen.
Troughton's directorial prowess bolsters the performances and draws out the finest qualities in the actors. While it might not evoke extraordinary reactions, the meticulous attention to detail succeeds in delivering a film that effectively encapsulates the intended emotions.
Through her adept direction, Troughton magnifies the impact of pivotal moments and affords the actors the opportunity to display their talents.
The Lesson might not be enthralling, yet it stands as a well-crafted film devoid of pretentiousness or extravagance. Instead, it offers authenticity, believability, functionality, which, in most instances, is more than sufficient to stand out.
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IN A NUTSHELL:
The story is about a young author who takes a tutoring position at the estate of a legendary writer.
The film was directed by Alice Troughton, and written by Alex MacKeith.
On a personal note, I'm an author of 31 books, so I'm always intrigued by movies about writers. I love seeing their process and what inspires them.
THINGS I LIKED:
The fantastic cast gives excellent performances and includes Richard E. Grant, Julie Delpy, Daryl McCormack, and more.
Daryl McCormack is a fantastic, new and upcoming actor who has already been nominated for several awards! I hadn't seen him in anything before Good Luck to You, Leo Grande. He was perfect in that movie, although the movie itself was shocking to me in its full nudity and sex. (Incredible performance by Emma Thompson, by the way.)
All of the characters appear to exist in a type of prison and are extremely flawed.
Fascinating and creative camera angles. The cinematography by Anna Patarkina is exceptional.
There's a fun twist that you won't see coming.
I was surprised to see a family of Capybura on the property of the estate. They're native to South America, but this movie takes place in England.
What? There is a robotic lawn mower like a Roomba? Wow!
There are a lot of visual cues that show the emotional state of the characters.
The musical score is playful.
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:
It takes a while to get going.
It would have been clever to have the film divided into chapters, rather than parts **** know...books.
It takes a while to get going.
Many of the decisions that are made by the characters made me cringe.
TIPS FOR PARENTS:
Kids will be completely bored.
Profanity, including F-bombs
We see two naked people on the ground in a distance.
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The Lesson is worth a watch as a tightly crafted film made by and for adults unafraid of some rhododendron metaphors and casual Tchaikovsky talk.
Unfortunately, it all rather stumbles with an overwrought final act that disintegrates under scrutiny and hinges on a key character’s unlikely ability to remember, verbatim, every word he has ever read.
Despite its thorough classiness and pristine presentation, it is not a film you can really warm to – much like its characters.
To the extent this literary feud evolves into a thriller, it’s not an especially thrilling one.
The Lesson, directed by Alice Troughton from a script by Alex MacKeith, aspires to be high-toned but only gets to the peak of a cliché slag heap.
In her first feature film, Director Alice Troughton (TV’s “Tin Star,” “Doctor Who”) explores the boundaries of film noir. Some of her innovations are quite successful, others not so **** the opening scene, Liam (Daryl McCormack – TV’s “Peaky Blinders”) is being interviewed about his debut novel. The film then flashes back to Liam arriving at the home of writer JM Sinclair (Richard Grant). While working on his own novel, Liam has agreed to tutor Bertie, Sinclair’s son, as Bertie prepares for the entrance exams at Oxford. (Having fully mastered entitlement and condescension, it seems Bertie is already fully equipped to enter those hallowed halls.) Liam moves in to the family mansion. But wait: it turns out Liam wrote his college thesis on the writings of Sinclair. While in residence, Liam is writing post-it notes about what he observes. Meanwhile, Sinclair is experiencing writer’s block so severe that some of his fans wonder if he has retired. Sinclair apparently is creatively paralyzed because of the drowning death of his other son, Felix. The game is afoot, Watson. This film contains many of the hallmarks of a classic film noir. It’s moody. It’s world-weary. It has a dark view of human nature. It uses a dark color palette. But the proceedings here feel a little ponderous. There are regular, lingering shots of the pond where Felix drowned. (We got it the first time.) There are regular, ongoing indications of tension among all three members of the Sinclair family. These tensions escalate predictably. So do nearly all of the plot twists.Some of the plot developments strain credulity. In this huge mansion, does Liam really need to be assigned the bedroom of the dead son, particularly when this room provides a perfect vantage point for spying on the elder Sinclairs’ bedroom? Why doesn’t Liam run screaming away from this wildly dysfunctional family at first opportunity? It’s the cast that holds this rickety storyline together. It would be easy to dismiss a character as consistently self-absorbed and imperious as JM Sinclair. But in the role, Richard Grant occasionally offers a laugh and twinkle in his eye that keep him from becoming the cardboard cutout of a villain. Meanwhile, as Sinclair’s art curator wife Hélène, Julie Delpy offers arched eyebrows or condescending glares that communicate more than paragraphs of exposition. Delpy’s Hélène is strong and observant, fully capable of going toe to toe with her famous husband.Ultimately, the fine performances of the cast are overwhelmed by a plot that’s predictable and, occasionally, a little pretentious.
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Daryl McCormack plays an aspiring writer who’s hired to tutor the son of a renowned author (Richard E. Grant). The web that entangles him gets more complex as the story evolves. While all of the performances in this small cast are compelling, it's Grant's overbearing character that's most impressive. It's obvious early on that something bad will happen, but watching the plot unfold proves intelligent and interesting, thanks to the smart script and unobtrusive direction. This is the kind of well-crafted traditional film that doesn't come along often. Not brilliant or ground-breaking, but a solid dark drama.
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