Lie With Me review handsome but predictable French drama

Based on a bestselling novel, this tale of a middle-aged author who returns to his home town to reconnect with his romantic past is oddly insular and fussy

A celebrated middle-aged author returns, for the first time in 35 years, to his home town in the Cognac-producing region in south-western France. Stéphane (Guillaume de Tonquédec) has been asked to give a keynote speech, but his motives for accepting the invitation have more to do with reconnecting with his own romantic past. He bonds with Lucas (Victor Belmondo), a young man who, it turns out, is the son of Stéphane’s long-lost first love.

Adapted from an autobiographical novel by Philippe Besson and weaving together two timelines, this is a handsome but ploddingly predictable drama. The striking wide-screen cinematography gives an impression of generous scope and openness. But in fact, like Stéphane himself, the storytelling is oddly insular and fussy. The highlight here is a supporting character: the longsuffering event organiser Gaëlle, played by Guilaine Londez with a huge, over-stretched smile and the kind of clenched-jawed positivity that seems to teeter on the brink of psychosis.

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