Liam (Daryl McCormack) is an aspiring writer who was tapped to help tutor Bertie (Stephen McMillan), the son of famous novelist J. M. Sinclair (Richard E. Grant), on his college essays.  While staying at the large estate, Liam begins to realize that the family is reeling from a recent tragedy.  As Sinclair finishes his most recent work, Liam is approached by Hélène (Julie Delpy) with some amendments to the original contract that will require him to forge a dangerously close relationship with his idol. 

Alice Troughton directs The Lesson from Alex MacKeith’s script and is brought to screens by Bleecker Street Media.  Structured around a prologue, three chapters – stylized as parts – and an epilogue, the 103-minute thriller is a salacious little film that works well within the confines of its genre creating an exciting and twisted turning of the screw narrative that turns this sprawling English estate into a claustrophobic boiling pot.  With Isobel Waller-Bridge’s classically inspired waltz playing out ominously behind Anna Patarakina’s careful framing, The Lesson is a real treat in the summer slate that’s been otherwise inundated with massive world-ending blockbusters. 

The film is centered around Liam who works well as the entry into this film.  Greeted by Ellis (Crispin Letts), the caretaker of the home, he is thrust into a world of formalities of which he is uncomfortable, insisting that “Mr. Sommers” is not necessary and that simply Liam is fine; a request which Ellis will consider but ignore.  McCormack, with an Irish mother and African American father, The Lesson seems to be cautiously making some plays about Liam’s race, but MacKeith’s script seems clearly nervous to push the envelope.  Conjuring up memories of Jordan Peele’s Get Out (2017) and more recently Paul Schrader’s Master Gardener (2023), while thankfully less insidious in nature, by not committing to this aspect of the story in a meaningful way, Liam’s race becomes more apparent as audiences become more and more aware of it, waiting for the script to make its thesis known, but ultimately this is not what The Lesson is very interested in and it comes off feeling more like a cheap diversion to make the setting more uncomfortable for all involved.  With a few passing comments about having Liam take his own dishes or clear things away, the characters are aware of the difference, and due to the beguiling nature of the story, it feels strange to witness without any real commentary or plot device being employed regarding this, but in the final act when the film is committed to telling its own story, The Lesson is at its strongest. 

The other major part of the plot that helps to increase the tension and the allure, but is not fully capitalized on is the relationship between Liam and Hélène which borders on being dangerously sexual though it is never consummated.  It becomes a major point, especially as Liam begins to lead Sinclair down the road of insanity, but we again see too much setup and too little payoff for how the script handles this aspect of the plot.  If it were to show that Liam has fabricated this lie of the affair to get under Sinclair’s skin, the script betrays itself by showing their elicit kiss while Sinclair is away, but the kiss which Hélène mostly rejects is made out to be a much bigger thing than it actually is.  Delpy works well in the role as the matriarch with a secret motive of her own, but MacKeith’s script does hold her back a little bit from really becoming a harrowing force of which she is clearly capable.  For what she is allowed to play, she always wrestles the upper hand of the situation from her husband whom she allows to think is in control.  It is a metered performance from Delpy that she does not play too far in either direction else it would not work as well as it does. 

The two main relationships which the film expounds upon best are between Liam and Sinclair, but even more so between Liam and Bertie.  McMillan has a difficult line to walk in this film as the meek and mild-tempered son, but as the plot unfolds and we learn of his older brother’s passing it really helps to color in Bertie’s demeanor and actions.  The younger of the two, his father’s mantle was always meant to be carried on by Felix, and with his sudden death, Bertie finds himself struggling to meet the expectations of his father.  This shifting dynamic is further explored in Sinclair bringing Liam into the fold instead of taking Bertie under his wing as it is heavily implied, he had done with Felix.  There is simmering resentment and feelings of rejection that both motivate Bertie and hold him back, and McMillan strikes a great balance of a boy burdened by grief but trying his best to overcome it.  His trust in Liam grows very subtly over time and it is hard to pinpoint exactly when the shift occurs, but it all culminates in a really powerful and poignant moment for the boy and showcases one of the few moments of pure joy and acceptance in the entire film.   

Finally, there is the thorny Sinclair, a famous novelist hard at work on his latest piece.  It is through Sinclair that MacKeith’s script is most playful as it winks to audiences about the structure which the film will similarly adopt.  One of the hardest things about twisted mystery films involving twisted mystery writers is that the film has to be smarter than the characters and so often they fumble along the line discrediting both the script as the audience experiences it and the pedigree of the characters involved.  The Lesson, as mentioned, is split into parts, akin to Sinclair’s latest work in progress, and Liam comments on the draft that the ending feels disconnected from what came before as if it were a different story alerting us to a major shift coming in Part 3 of the film.  It never quite comes to fruition any more than a standard pot-boiler climax as tensions rise and all the traps laid out in the second act meet their target.  Had the script not been so careful to set up the promise of something larger, this conclusion would have been perfectly fine, but it does not quite live up to the expectations that MacKeith has built up around his story.  What really sells it, though is Grant’s commitment to being just as cruel as possible to everyone around him while maintaining a chillingly cool demeanor throughout.  He makes for a great villain in this tale, and it is exciting to watch as he barrels through the narrative under the allusion he is in control while unaware of the plot brewing to bring him down having pushed everyone in his orbit to their absolute breaking point. 

All in all, The Lesson is a taut little thriller that achieves some great twists and turns to keep audiences engaged and interested.  It teases with some supernatural elements that, again, are never fully investigated. The script sounds like a bit of a mess with everything it is trying to do but actually comes together quite nicely.  Could it have been more focused?  Sure.  But what is presented feels like the perfect story for summer with mystery, romance, and intrigue all unfolding in the world of the rich and famous, turning the white marble statues that line the yard into something more sinister as they watch this family devolve into deceit and hatred of each other in the wake of their grief.  Frustrating that it could and should have been stronger, it is impossible to say that the film was not still a success in what it was striving to do.