Review:
"The Lesson"
Release Date: July 7, 2023
Rating: R Running Time: 102 minutes A great writer does not always make a great person. Or a great parent. In the knotty British drama The Lesson, Richard E. Grant’s narcissistic author J.M. Sinclair’s intense belief in himself as a great author is reinforced by a loyal readership desperate for his long-delayed new novel. But Sinclair’s writing has slowed to a crawl as a result of the recent drowning death of his eldest son, aspiring author Felix. And he remains preoccupied with his surviving son Bertie (Stephen McMillan) getting into Oxford to study writing. Unfortunately, Felix’s death has not inspired Sinclair to reflect upon his obvious deficiencies as a father or his unnecessarily harsh behavior toward Bertie. Enter Liam Sommers (Daryl McCormack), a recent Oxford grad and struggling writer whom Sinclair’s wife Hélène (Julie Delpy) hires to tutor Bertie in advance of his entrance exams. Bertie is not too thrilled with being assigned a tutor but Sinclair takes such a shine to Liam—an admitted fan of his work—that he asks him to proofread a manuscript draft of his new novel. When things quickly go sideways between Liam and Sinclair, they lock horns, with the outcome of which could decide Bertie’s immediate and long-term future. The first film by British TV director Alice Troughton, The Lesson unfolds as a sharp and darkly comic psychological battle of wits between a Goliath of the literary world and the David who yearns for his unexpected adversary’s power and celebrity. Told in flashback from Liam’s perspective, and divided into clear and concise chapters, The Lesson unfortunately tips screenwriter Alex MacKeith’s main twist so early in the proceedings that much of the first hour is spent waiting for one of the film’s protagonists to discover what we already suspect. While this is clearly of disservice to a calm and collected thriller that painstakingly develops the relationship between Liam and each member of the Sinclair household, it does not diminish the amusement to be found in the machinations at hand. Displaying an ego too outsized even for an artist of Sinclair’s caliber, Grant storms through The Lesson with an arrogance and severity that makes his presence felt even when he is not in the room. It is Sinclair’s world and everyone else should feel happy just to be a part of it. Especially if you happen to be one of his sons. And Grant always makes us question how the death of Felix has affected Sinclair in ways that it has not his wife Hélène and his youngest son Bertie. Liam is very much a work in progress, both as a person and as a writer, but Good Luck to You, Leo Grande’s Daryl McCormack refuses to make him inferior to Sinclair. McCormack slyly gives as good as he gets but also employs the conflict with Sinclair as a teachable moment for a new writer in search of a good story and a strong voice to match. Through adversity comes a defining moment in a young life. As Bertie, Stephen McMillan hides behind a hostility that belies his anger and frailty, a product of his father’s tough love. Julie Delpy, as Sinclair’s seemingly supportive wife Hélène, maintains a quiet but firm authority in The Lesson that suggests there is more to Hélène than meets the eye. Delpy makes it clear from the beginning that Hélène’s grief is not the same as Sinclair’s grief, and this informs much of the way The Lesson plays out. And director Alice Troughton and screenwriter Alex MacKeith ensure that Felix’s spirit not just lingers in every corner of the Sinclairs’ country estate but is strongly felt by a guest negotiating his way through a family crisis. “Losing a child is losing a part of one’s self,” Sinclair declares before an audience that hangs on his every word. The Lesson is haunting study in what happens when the grief stricken chooses to or refuses to restoe that missing part of one’s self. Robert Sims Aired: July 5, 2023. Web sites: https://bleeckerstreetmedia.com/the-lesson |
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