Until recently, it felt like the French were upset if they discovered something wasn’t sexually suggestive, and if there was a bit of homoeroticism thrown in, that was all the better. However in recent months the country has seen massive protests against the new equal marriage laws, with many suggesting that general anti-government feeling is being expressed through homophobia.

Now that anger has spread to the Paris suburbs and posters for L’inconnu du Lac (Stranger by the Lake). While tame by many standards, Versailles & Saint Cloud, to the west of the city, have pulled the posters down, after claims the authorities had been inundated with complaints about the ‘obsenity of the graphics’.

The mayor of St. Cloud commented, “This is not an act of homophobia, sadly, recent events can testify that French people are against gay marriage. This is the reason why we have removed the posters from our streets. In order to keep the population safe, after many complains and concerns for safety of the children of Saint Cloud. My role is to preserve and gather my people, unlike dividing which is what the French president is doing right now.”

That statement certainly suggests general dissatisfaction has bled into anti-gay feeling, as it’s difficult to imagine this sort of thing happening a few months ago.

L’inconnu du Lac stirred up a lot of interest at Cannes, Alain Guiraudie’s film is a mix of very explicit sex, nihilistic thriller and arthouse drama. The Cannes synopsis said, ‘Summertime. A cruising spot for men, tucked away on the shores of a lake. Franck falls in love with Michel. An attractive, potent and lethally dangerous man. Franck knows this, but wants to live out his passion anyway.’ That hints at the plot, which involves Franck witnessing Michel killing someone but telling nobody. He continues to pursue Michel, who holds him at arms length.

Click here to watch the teaser trailer.