The Lesson

2023

Action / Thriller

12
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 70% · 101 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 70%
IMDb Rating 6.1/10 10 4780 4.8K

psychological thriller writer tutor mind game woman director slow burn

Plot summary

Liam, an aspiring and ambitious young writer, eagerly accepts a tutoring position at the family estate of his idol, renowned author J.M. Sinclair. But soon, Liam realizes that he is ensnared in a web of family secrets, resentment, and retribution. Sinclair, his wife Hélène, and their son Bertie all guard a dark past, one that threatens Liam’s future as well as their own.

Director

Alice Troughton Photo
Alice Troughton

Top cast

Richard E. Grant Photo
Richard E. Grant as J.M. Sinclair
Julie Delpy Photo
Julie Delpy as Hélène Sinclair
Crispin Letts Photo
Crispin Letts as Ellis
Daryl McCormack Photo
Daryl McCormack as Liam Somers
720p.BluRay 720p.WEB 1080p.BluRay 1080p.WEB 1080p.WEB
952.84 MB
1280*536
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 43 min
Seeds 2
948.08 MB
1280*536
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 43 min
Seeds 5
1.91 GB
1920*804
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 43 min
Seeds 4
1.9 GB
1920*804
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 43 min
Seeds 3
1.72 GB
1920*804
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 43 min
Seeds 2

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by ladymidath 7 / 10

Intriguing Mystery.

Richard E Grant is always a joy to watch. I loved him in The Cold Light Of Day and Warlock just to name a few.Here he plays a writer whose family a dealing with the suicide of their older son.A young aspiring writer is hired to help their younger son gain an entrance to Oxford. There he slowly covers unsavory truths and secrets that roil just beneath the surface.This is a slow burn of a movie that is an interesting watch if you have the patience. It is ultimately rewarding and is worth the time.The story is a cerebral one and needs the viewers full attention. It is all in the small things, the body language, the expression that convey so much, This is a solid mystery drama that does tell a good story.
Reviewed by Sees All 7 / 10

Intelligent and Intriguing

THE LESSON is a terrible title for an excellent film. It's an economically made film. It utilizes a small cast with only a handful of speaking roles. There are only two locales-a country estate (about 95% of the time) and a TV studio (the other 5%). The soundtrack orchestra is composed of only a few instruments. But it nonetheless comes off as rather classy. The situation is that a revered writer and his wife hire a tutor for their son whom they feel MUST be accepted by a prestigious college. The couple are both domineering. When they speak, it's an order. Their son is brilliant, but an emotional mess. The tutor is a handsome and articulate young man of mixed-race, who comes with sterling credentials (and is also an aspiring writer). The tutor lives in the house and sees a lot more than he would like to of the couple's private life. It turns out that a tragic event happened in this family five years earlier. What really happened and why? Gradually, one begins to see the complex web of relationships among the characters. Whose point-of-view should the viewer believe? This is an intelligent and challenging script, at times evocative of Tom Stoppard or Harold Pinter. The screenwriter, Alex MacKeith, is the real star of this movie. The cast are all fine, but I was a big Richard E. Grant fan to start with. He does not disappoint. Where I think the film falls short is in the pacing. It's a little flat. Every scene is played at the same level at the same pace. It could have used some peaks and valleys. It looks gorgeous though, with great art decoration and cinematography. Isobel Weller Bridge's musical score is just right.The movie also has a lot of ideas about writing and writers. As Richard E. Grant's character says, "Good writers borrow; Great writers steal." There's a lot to this movie, but I don't want to spoil anything in this review. It would make a great double-bill with the documentary UMBERTO ECO-A LIBRARY OF THE WORLD. If you like Harold Pinter and Tom Stoppard, you would probably enjoy this movie.
Reviewed by danieljfarthing 5 / 10

Passable if clichéd Brit drama that's too mild to be a 'thriller'

In supposed thriller "The Lesson" aspiring writer Daryl McCormack (future huge star pending the right BIG role) is an English Lit tutor to Stephen McMillan, son of Julie Delpy & Richard E Grant (terrific) - whose other son killed himself two years prior. The domineering Grant's a once acclaimed author who's close to finishing his comeback novel, but in staying with the family at their beautiful, isolated home McCormack unearths secrets beneath their tension. Debut director Alice Troughton & debut writer Alex MacKeith tick the boxes, albeit with some clichés, to deliver a passable Brit-drama... that's sadly a tad too mild & predictable to be considered a true 'thriller'.
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