‘The Lesson’ centres on Liam, - an aspiring writer who takes on a tutoring position at literary legend J. M. Sinclair’s house. Teaching young Bertie to prep for his university entrance exams and interviews, Liam befriends Hélène, the matriarch of the family. Sinking deeper into the family drama, Liam uncovers a hidden secret.
Subscribing to the worn out statement - “Good writers borrow, great writers steal,” the film betrays itself on opening, forgoing any guesswork as to who the antagonist of the piece may be. Disallowing for much intrigue, ‘The Lesson’ undercuts itself in producing any mystery that may develop, as J. M. (Richard E. Grant) provides for a genuine and dislikeable character from the outset, pushing us to distrust the writer, rather than creating a mystery about him.
Unrushed, the film seems a tad listless in its debut, presenting a simple and somewhat uneventful story, as Liam settles in the Sinclair household, tutors Bertie and goes about his days. Pushing and pulling young Liam (Daryl McCormack) along, the young author is inundated by the strong personalities around him. A clever and somewhat resentful pupil, Bertie (Stephen McMillan) distrusts and dislikes Liam from the get-go. Further manipulated by the kind yet secretive Hélène (Julie Delpy), Liam never quite feels at ease.
The crux of the film lies with J. M., who, as it turns out, has been plagiarizing his dead son’s written work and trying to pass it off as his own. Having used Liam to get to the bottom of what her husband had been hiding, Hélène is revealed to have masterminded and pushed Liam to uncovering her husbands hidden misdeeds, as she had suspected her elder son’s suicide to be linked to her husband.
Much like his attitude towards Liam, J. M. had previously reviewed his son’s work, providing much criticism and little else. The film climaxes in retribution towards J. M. as Hélène presents J. M. taking his own life as the only viable option, after his misdeeds are uncovered. Even though the mystery is revealed long before the film gets there, its saving grace shines through the cast.
Delectable detestable, Grant’s J. M. delivers onto the screen a particularly arrogant and prideful author. Shameless enough to have caused his son’s demise, the author goes a step beyond and has the audacity to steal from him. Creating for a superbly reprehensible figure, Grant elevates what could have concluded as a flavourless affair.
Serving as the other side of that coin, Delpy’s Hélène adds quiet secrecy to the film. Moving the pieces along, her intentions are not revealed until the very end, gracefully allowing for the film to be considered a mystery therein.
Even though the film boasts a powerful cast of actors and is set in a scenic and serene countryside setting, ‘The Lesson’ seems to have a few too many pauses in between developments in the narrative, making one think this could have fared better as a short, delivering what feels like a stretched out short story.
Score: 2/4
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