Lakeview (2024)

Friendships are one of the greatest treasures of the human experience. They can provide us with tremendous joy and fulfillment. But they can also come with frustration and heartache, especially if feelings of betrayal enter the picture or if we find ourselves having to go to extraordinary lengths to maintain them, bringing out the love-hate relationship we sometimes have with them. In the end, though, we generally discover that the effort we must put into them is more than worth it, particularly when we gather en masse to celebrate their innate splendor. Such is the case in writer-director Tara Thorne’s second feature, an intensely personal comedy-drama about a weekend reunion of seven dear friends. The occasion? Darcy (Lesley Smith), a middle-aged, well-to-do self-described “baroness,” invites six friends to her Nova Scotia lakefront home to celebrate her divorce, a time to say good riddance to her past and a warm welcome to what she hopes will be a new and more satisfying future. Joining Darcy are her longtime friend Lauren (Nicole Steeves) and her sweet but flirtatious young girlfriend, Phoebe (Faly Mevamanana); long-tenured couple Julien (Kathryn McCormack) and Julie Anne (Stephanie Clark), who have a big announcement of their own; Lucy (Jessica Marie Brown), whose irresponsible, cheating partner abandons her just as they were about to leave for the weekend’s festivities, prompting the inconsolable, newly jilted romantic castaway to embark on a protracted bender to drown her sorrows; and Dax (Hilary Adams), a successful, self-absorbed, shamelessly promiscuous recording artist who goes through women faster than free pizza at a happy hour buffet (including, at different points in the past, most of the attendees at Darcy’s celebration). Their weekend together consists of an array of antics in which the guests engage in a series of candid and profound yet often-sassy conversations about life, love, regrets, relationships, and, above all, friendships (with or without benefits). This delightfully engaging tale is peppered with snappy one-liners (many of which were brilliantly ad libbed) and razor-sharp observations scattered throughout a plethora of outrageous and unexpected plot developments (think of this essentially as an all-lesbian version of “The Big Chill” (1983) or “Return of the Secaucus Seven” (1979)). This is all brought to life with a smartly written screenplay, some of the best movie casting I’ve ever seen, spot-on character development and chemistry, and an excellent soundtrack with knock-out performances of original songs whose sentiments are perfectly coordinated with the narrative’s subject matter. “Lakeview” is a truly impressive entry in the filmography of contemporary LGBTQ+ cinema, an enjoyable, heartfelt offering that comes as a genuinely wonderful surprise, not just in its own genre, but in the world of movies overall. Give this one a look, not just for its entertainment value, but as an inspired, insightful exploration of the relationships we hold most dear. Indeed, you may never look at your friends the same way ever again.