When asked what drew her to the darkly comedic neo-noir thriller The Lesson, director Alice Troughton says, “I think everybody sees something different in it, which is one of its best qualities.” The film is a single-location thriller about an aspiring novelist (Daryl McCormack) who gets the opportunity to tutor the son of his literary hero (Oscar nominee Richard E. Grant). Before long, the young writer finds himself caught up in a surprising mystery involving his idol’s latest novel.
The Lesson marks Troughton’s feature directorial debut, and she says that she was intentional in choosing a project within the noir genre. “I’ve always loved trying to knock down genre doors that women historically haven’t been allowed through. Before I started The Lesson, I think I thought that noirs had to be terribly poe-faced and straight down the line, and then I realized I was wrong.”
At the center of The Lesson is the nagging sense of imposter syndrome that plagues both Grant and McCormack’s characters. One would be forgiven for assuming the theme struck a similar chord with the film’s director. “I think there are things you do that are an act of will, and as an act of will, I refuse to have imposter syndrome,” Troughton says. “Female directors still only make up 18 percent of our field’s work populace, so it’s easy for someone else to try to undermine me. The people around me have more power. They’ve got 80 percent of the films.”
“In the end, I can’t be bothered to play the imposter syndrome game,” she reasons. “I’m really happy making movies, and nobody is going to make me feel like I can’t do that.”
While she doesn’t relate to the sense of artistic uncertainty that pervades much of The Lesson, Troughton does connect a bit more deeply, albeit not literally, to its themes of creative theft. “I don’t ever steal directly, not unless I’m doing it very self-consciously. But I am being influenced all the time,” she explains. “I’m always keen to research the genre of a project before I go into it. At least that way, I know what rules to break if I’m going to break any.”
With that in mind, Troughton cites everything from Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining among the various inspirations for her new film. Below, the director tells A.frame the five movies that most influenced The Lesson.