Lie with Me

2022

1h 38m

Drama

Romance

LGBTQ+

List

97%

29 Reviews

Tomatometer

87%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

Upon agreeing to be the brand ambassador for a famous cognac celebrating their bicentennial, novelist Stéphane Belcourt returns to his hometown for the first time in many years. Once there, he meets his first love's son, Lucas. Memories come rushing back to him: irrepressible attraction, bodies becoming one in the heat of desire, a passion that can never be revealed... His first love's name was Thomas. They were 17.

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Premiered Feb 28

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Rob D

Although well-made, this film failed to persuade. It failed to gain my trust, as DH Lawrence would say. I think the main reason for this is because the love depicted between young Stephane and Thomas doesn't strike me as very convincing or memorable. Nonetheless, the film does seem to generate a certain amount of poignancy for Thomas and his plight. I suspect this occurs because Thomas embodies and illustrates a powerful theme that runs through the later years of this story--that of the unlived life. And this theme, I'm sure, is one that at least some of us can relate to and empathize with, whatever our sexuality. Now that I think of it, any power this film possesses probably lies inherently in the themes expressed more so than in the modest quality of the dialogue and acting. Although I don't regret having seen this film; it wouldn't have been any great aesthetic loss if I hadn't.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/22/24

Full Review

Ty N

Guillaume de Tonquedec and Victor Belmondo deliver strong performances that give emotional depth to a story that often feels like rough sketch rather than well-rounded narrative.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/17/24

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Ken C

Achingly, but beautifully, sad.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/09/23

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Wee peng H

This movie really touched my heart. The acting is just top notched. Everything is just realistic like our daily lives. It's a must watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/04/23

Full Review

John M

An excellent film. Captures the difficulty in growing up as a gay teenager in France during the 1980s. A bit sad at times but also wonderfully inspiring. A must watch.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/09/23

Full Review

Alan W

Based on Philippe Besson's 2017 novel, Olivier Peyon's very French and very handsomely made gay romantic drama of lost love and innocence weaves together familiar story elements we've come across before. Guillaume de Tonquedec's gay author, Stephane, returned to his hometown of Cognac after a 35 years absence for the bicentenary of a local distillery where he meets one of its employees, Victor Belmondo's Lucas and finds himself forced to confront the memories of his first love, Julien De Saint Jean's Thomas who insisted that they kept their relationship a secret when they were both 17. Intercutting between present day and 1984, this is one of those intimate small films that slowly teases out information bit by bit, even though most of them are fairly obvious to figure out before they are revealed. Beautifully shot – and definitely makes you want to plan a trip to that part of France immediately after the screening – and nicely acted by a good looking central quartet of actors, which also includes Jeremy Gillet as the young bookish Stephane, this is typically Continental, tastefully executed and very easy to get swept up by. Exploring not just themes of young forbidden love at a different time when attitudes aren't as liberal, especially in more traditional rural areas, it's also a film about a father/son relationship where the latter is haunted by and desperately seeking answers about the former. It has the potential to be and reminds me a little of Brokeback Mountain but it lacks that certain ‘je ne sais quoi' to make it stand out from other films of this ilk. This is certainly well put together and pretty to look at but it remains a fairly conventional tread within its niche genre.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/21/23

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Olivier Peyon

Director

Guillaume de Tonquedec

Stéphane Belcourt

Victor Belmondo

Lucas Andrieu

Guilaine Londez

Gaëlle Flamand

Julien De Saint-Jean

Thomas Andrieu

Pierre-Alain Chapuis

Monsieur Dejean

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

Reflective, sensual and filled with tender performances, particularly from de Saint Jean, it tells a powerful story of longing and loss.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 21, 2024

Full Review

David Stratton

The Australian

It’s true that the basic theme – a character haunted by vivid memories of his first love that ended badly – isn’t exactly original, but when told as tenderly as it is here the material remains timeless.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 13, 2023

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

A handsome but ploddingly predictable drama.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 20, 2023

Full Review

Rubén Rosario

MiamiArtZine

It's a tricky tightrope that Gillet and De Saint Jean are required to walk, but the stars are able to sell how their characters' affair, initially driven by lust, deepens into a more affectionate and mutually supportive bond.

Apr 2, 2024

Full Review

James Wegg

JWR

Done that, been there

Rated: 4/5

Mar 28, 2024

Full Review

André Hereford

Metro Weekly (Washington, DC)

The well-acted queer romance 'Lie with Me' offers a tender, tear-jerking ode to first loves lost but not forgotten.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 10, 2024

Full Review

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Synopsis

Upon agreeing to be the brand ambassador for a famous cognac celebrating their bicentennial, novelist Stéphane Belcourt returns to his hometown for the first time in many years. Once there, he meets his first love's son, Lucas. Memories come rushing back to him: irrepressible attraction, bodies becoming one in the heat of desire, a passion that can never be revealed... His first love's name was Thomas. They were 17.

Director: Olivier Peyon
Screenwriter: Arthur Cahn, Olivier Peyon, Vincent Poymiro, Cecilia Rouaud
Production Co: TS Productions
Genre: Drama, Romance, LGBTQ+
Original Language: French
Runtime: 1h 38m

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