THE LESSON

2023
1 HR, 43 min
JUL 7 → JUL 20

Details

Released June 7, 2023, United Kingdom

Drama, Thriller

1 hour, 43 minutes

Bleecker Street

None

Starring

Richard E. Grant
Julie Delpy
Daryl McCormack
Crispin Letts
Stephen McMillan

Director

Alice Troughton

Film Information

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 (Academy Award nominee Richard E. Grant). But soon, Liam realizes that he is ensnared in a web of family secrets, resentment, and retribution. Sinclair, his wife Hélène (Academy Award nominee Julie Delpy), and their son Bertie (Stephen McMillan) all guard a dark past, one that threatens Liam’s future as well as their own. As the lines between master and protégé blur, class, ambition, and betrayal become a dangerous combination in this taut noir thriller.

Film Stills

Full Cast

Richard E. Grant

Julie Delpy

Daryl McCormack

Crispin Letts

Stephen McMillan

Additional Credits

Alice Troughton Director

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Reviews

“The Lesson plays and gives one of our most entertaining actors an especially meaty role to devour.”

Jason Bailey

The Playlist

“Alice Troughton’s first feature is a jewel, an exquisitely made chamber piece with Richard E. Grant as J.M. Sinclair, an acclaimed novelist on his way down, Julie Delpy as Helene, his art-curator wife, and Daryl McCormack as Liam, a would-be novelist who idolizes Sinclair. With a clever script that keeps us off guard, the setting of a gracious country estate whose sumptuous visuals mask a dark undercurrent, and a score that entices us into an increasingly unsettling world, The Lesson is a small delight.”

Caryn James

The Hollywood Reporter

“Who is writing what, and to what extent it matters, are the questions that keep director Alice Troughton and screenwriter Alex MacKeith’s mutual debut feature interesting, even as it slides into occasional, overheated cliché.”

Guy Lodge

Variety