Richard E. Grant, Julie Delpy and Daryl McCormack make for a tantalizing trio in the new thriller "The Lesson," which marks the impressive feature film debuts of director Alice Troughton and screenwriter Alex MacKeith. Together they've made a slow building thriller that never gets above a simmer. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, in this case their patience works in the film's favor.
File "The Lesson" in with the ever-growing number of movies dealing with the troubles and tragedies of the rich and famous. This focused and wily confection is more melodrama than pure thriller, using characters entrenched in their own misery to tell a story about pent-up pain, resentment, and dark family secrets. With its (mostly) single setting and relatively small cast, "The Lesson" plants us in a tightly structured environment with people whose poorly veiled dysfunction eventually reaches its breaking point.
Much of the film is shown from the perspective of Liam Sommers, a recent literature graduate and an aspiring writer. He's played by McCormack who grabbed a lot of attention for his performance in last year's "Good Luck to You, Leo Grande." When not working as a tutor Liam spends his personal time writing away on his first novel. And then along comes the opportunity of a lifetime.
Liam is hired to be the live-in tutor for Bertie Sinclair (Stephen McMillan). Bertie happens to be the bratty son of J.M. Sinclair (Grant), a revered author and Liam's literary idol. Grant is pitch-perfect playing a pompous egomaniac whose condescending smile can't quite hide his ever-present feelings of intellectual superiority. His slithering smugness and feelings of self-importance seep through every look, gesture, and word Grant delivers. It's truly a savory performance.
Delpy is also good as J.M.'s enigmatic wife Hélène. She's the one who actually hired Liam and gets him set up once he arrives at their remote country estate. Hélène is hard to read. We learn she's an art curator but otherwise she keeps her thoughts, emotions, and any possible secret agenda to herself. She's aware of Liam's adoration for her husband yet she still brought him in to help her moody son prepare for his forthcoming Oxford entrance exams. "He has to get in," she stresses in a deathly serious tone.
It doesn't take long for Liam (and us) to notice the undercurrent of bitterness and contempt running through the Sinclair home. But Liam is a bit of a cipher himself, ingratiating himself with the Sinclairs (especially J.M.) while donning a kindly innocence and a sheepish smile. But he's also sharp-eyed, closely watching his hosts and cataloging his observations on yellow Post-It notes carefully organized on his bedroom mirror.
So we're left pretty much questioning everyone's self-interests and motives. We're treated to a series of awkward dinners and tense encounters that begin with a subtle dark comedy edge. But as the truths start to surface, especially the revelation that the Sinclairs had a son named Felix who died two years earlier, the proverbial plot thickens and the thriller elements take over.
As MacKeith's sleek and savvy script uncoils within its crisp ''prologue – three act – epilogue" structure, Troughton shows good instincts in keeping things moving at a smart and steady pace. Meanwhile cinematographer Anna Patarakina captures the beauty and austerity of the Sinclair manor in a way fitting of a place housing so much unpleasantness. And it's all surrounded by Isobel Waller-Bridge's mischievous score which ranges from playful to all-out ominous.
Interestingly nothing about "The Lesson" feels particularly new or fresh (in fact it immediately reminded me of a similar film from earlier this year called "The Tutor"). Yet there's a hard to pinpoint draw to movies like this specifically when they're done well. Troughton keeps us engaged throughout, using all the pieces she's given to their fullest. And it's hard not to love the cast led by a deliciously noxious Richard E. Grant. He alone is worth the cost of a ticket.
From left, Richard E. Grant, Daryl McCormack, Julie Delpy and Stephen McMillan in "The Lesson." MUST CREDIT: Bleecker Street photo by Anna Patarakina
Julie Delpy, left, and Daryl McCormack in "The Lesson." MUST CREDIT: Bleecker Street photo by Gordon TimpenMore News
None85 Cast: Richard E. Grant, Julie Delpy, Daryl McCormack, Stephen McMillan
Director: Alice Troughton
Rating: R
Running time: 1 hour, 42 minutes
Playing theatrically