R | 1h 43m | Drama, Mystery, Thriller | 7 July 2023 (USA)
Observing the most basic rules of mystery thrillers (keep the plot simple and don’t cheat the audience), director Alice Troughton’s “The Lesson” (originally titled: “The Tutor”) isn’t likely to win any year-end awards, but in a summer overflowing with hyper-stylized sequels, thunderously blunt action flicks, and politically-correct animated “message” movies, it is a welcomed throwback.
The always dependable character actor Richard E. Grant co-stars as J.M. Sinclair, a smug, full-of-himself British novelist who, nonetheless, is the idol of budding Irish writer Liam Sommers (Daryl McCormack).
So taken and in awe of Sinclair is Sommers, that he based his thesis paper on him. This has caught not only Sinclair’s attention but also that of his wife Helene (Julie Delpy), an artist and curator, a woman who possesses all the warmth and approachability of dry ice….