‘Good writers borrow, great writers steal’ says the film’s main character J.M. Sinclair, but that line is familiar to us because it was originally coined by one of the most celebrated American poets of the 20th Century, T.S. Elliot.

The Lesson is Alice Troughton’s feature film debut from a script by Alex MacKeith. It centers on Liam Somers (Daryl McCormack) who’s being interviewed for his well-received debut novel, and when he’s asked about the inspiration for the story, the film shifts to a flashback to Liam’s experience at his idol’s estate, J.M. Sinclair (Richard E. Grant) who lives with his wife Hélène (Julie Delpy) and son Bertie (Stephen McMillan). Liam isn’t exactly welcomed warmly by the family, but he takes it in stride without much protest.

There’s an unsettling tension between the Sinclairs one can cut with a knife, largely because they’re still mourning the death of the Sinclairs’ older son Felix two years prior. It doesn’t help that J.M. is cold and tyrannical to everyone, especially to Bertie. As the film progresses, we learn the truth surrounding Felix’s death. There’s an aura of mystery from the moment we set foot into the Sinclairs’ sprawling estate. Interesting that I just saw Grant in Saltburn where the majority of scenes take place inside a grand British manor and the brilliant working-class protagonist is greeted by the family’s loyal butler (Crispin Letts).

While his primary job is tutoring Bertie, Liam slowly embeds himself further into the family when he helps the technologically inept Mr. Sinclair with random IT stuff as well as proofreading work while also endearing himself to the lady of the house. Soon he discovers deeply private matters, buried resentments, and a bombshell of a secret that threatens to jeopardize Sinclair’s literary reputation forever. Troughton did a pretty good job of building tension, aided by a lively score by Isobel Waller-Bridge that culminates in a female-driven twist I didn’t see coming. It’s always great to learn that there are strong female talents behind the scenes, the stunning cinematography is courtesy of Anna Patarakina.

I love films about writers and the themes of creativity, the art of writing, plagiarism, etc. are explored pretty well here, though there aren’t as in-depth character studies as I’d like. The performances are the highlights, with McCormack proving himself once again to be a versatile actor with a mesmerizing screen presence, able to hold his own against veterans like Grant and Delpy. Grant can portray the eccentric British upper class and flawed patriarch convincingly, but it’s Delpy who’s a revelation here with her quiet grace that subtly hints she’s more powerful than you think and knows more than she lets on. It makes me wish she’s got more screen time, but she’s definitely utilized well in all the scenes she appears in.

A neo-noir is a challenging genre to get right so it’s quite a feat that Troughton manages to tackle that as her first feature. The film takes a while to get going but gets more engaging once it gets into gear. Overall I think she did a good job crafting an atmospheric and intriguing thriller with an effective less-is-more approach.

The Lesson is now streaming on Showtime and Prime Video

Have you seen The Lesson? I’d love to hear what you think!

///