The Lesson

McCormack (Good Luck to You, Leo Grande , SFF 2022) plays Liam, an aspiring novelist and superb academic, who’s brought in to tutor the son of famed novelist J.M. Sinclair (Grant) and his art curator wife Hélène (Delpy). Moving in with the family on their plush estate, Liam, who’s a fan of Sinclair’s writing, also sees the opportunity to work on his own novel – and to learn from the master himself. But all is not well within the family Sinclair. The father is an unrepentant bully; charming at one moment and vicious the next. No one is spared, although his talented son Bertie (Stephen McMillan) takes the brunt of his malice. Director Alice Troughton ratchets up the tension as family secrets are revealed, leading to a thrilling, and exhilarating, climax.