The Lesson – Flawed But Worth the Ride

Simple stories can often be the most effective. It doesn’t take that many characters or settings to create an engaging narrative. It is within that simplicity that makes them so engaging. They essentially feel like stage play but that being said, not all audiences are into those kinds of films. When it comes to The Lesson, it is a tense, slow burn psychological thriller with engaging characters that may be on the predictable side. In spite of that, a trio of stellar lead performances from Richard E. Grant, Julie Delpy, and Daryl McCormack are sure to have audiences on the edge of their seats as a story that may seem simple on the surface slowly unravels into a dark web of lies and deceit. The moral of this story basically is to not meet your heroes as they not always who they appear to be. In the end, there could definitely have been more here to flesh out the characters beyond the scope of the narrative to sell their individual motivations though as it stands, its performances go a long way in giving the characters a sense of nuance, making for what was still a powerful watch.

The Lesson follows Liam (McCormack), an ambitious aspiring young writer who accepts a tutoring position at the family estate of his idol, the notorious author J.M. Sinclair (Grant). Tasked with helping Sinclair’s son Bertie (Stephen McMillan) get into Oxford so he would not disappoint his father, he was really there to gather background on the writer for his thesis and perhaps get some mentorship regarding the novel he had been developing for years. The longer he spent with the Sinclair family at their estate and the closer he got to Sinclair himself, there was more going on as the death of his aspiring author son Felix years prior still loomed large over the family. Eventually, he would discover that he wasn’t the kind of person or writer he thought he was. Pushing an aura of superiority over Liam and Felix, Sinclair considered himself amongst the ranks of the greatest writers, developing quite the ego in the process. Little did Liam know, much of the success of his idol was built on a web of secrets and resentment. Already on edge while facing the pressure of delivering his long anticipated next novel, that façade slowly crumbled as the line between supposed master and student became increasingly blurry.

The parallels between Felix and Liam were clear as both were young writers looking for Sinclair’s approval. Instead of mentoring Felix, he belittled him and he was doing the same with Liam after reading the latest draft of his novel. His ego was so huge that he did not take the threat of new and emerging talent well. Over time, that ego left his relationships with his family and others strained. Following the newest challenge from Liam, Sinclair began to truly unravel as the story evolved (or devolved) into a power play between the two as Liam was hellbent on revenge by exposing him and his actions. From there, things got a little dicey as the answers lied in uncovering Sinclair family’s tragic past. Meanwhile, the wildcard in that equation was J.M.’s cold and calculating wife Hélène Sinclair (Delpy). Watching from the periphery, she knew more than what she was letting on as she was merely playing more of a long game. Though there was plenty of tension to be had, the predictability of the film’s final act somewhat undercut that tension as the payoff from the buildup that preceded it wasn’t there. Ultimately, for one writer to rise, another must fall. For a film about what makes a good story, all of this certainly made for a good story.

The best part of The Lesson was its stellar performances from Grant, Delpy, and McCormack. In what basically played out like a stage play between the three, they dug deep and gave the characters more depth which made them more interesting to watch even if the story was predictable. Grant once again brings his tried-and-true charm to a larger-than-life villain type that he avoids making into a caricature with his range. The heart of the film is the dynamic between he and McCormack and for that, each of them deliver. The latter brings boatloads of charm of his own along with a youthful energy that works but he also had an edge that he could weave in and out of effortlessly. The protagonist of the story, his likability anchors the film with a relatable humanity. Delpy had an air of mystery to her as she loomed over the proceedings. She let her actions and expressions do the talking and they were a sight to behold.

At the end of the day, The Lesson may be simple but where it excels is its execution. Though it might be easy to figure out where it’s going, audiences will still want to go on that journey.

still courtesy of Photon Films

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.