Jason reviewed Lie With Me by Philippe Besson
An Engrossing Immersion into Past Gay Love
4 stars
Content warning Avoid the end of the review if you haven't watched the film
A delight to listen to on Audible - observations on youth, aging, loss and love told in greater depth than the film, and the observations on gay youth are even more profound. The ways we hide, the people we believe we're supposed to be - it's not an LGBTQIA+ phenomenon, but Besson nails tender minutiae we forget over time, as well as the effect time has on our expectations and feelings about love. Stéphane's path intersecting with Lucas' may be a little contrived, but it's a niggling issue. The fleetingness of all our intersections, romantic or otherwise is very much championed by Besson & his translator Ringwald (who is herself a revelation) - with the final act revelations about Thomas' demise highlighting love's bittersweetness across time.