The Other Man 2009

Lisa, a shoe designer from the United States, is married for a quarter of a century to Peter Ryman, a software CEO from Northern Ireland. They live in Cambridge, and Lisa frequently travels to Milan on business. Their family dynamic is tested by their daughter Abigail and her boyfriend George, whom Peter disapproves of. In quiet moments, Lisa and Peter explore the delicate terrain of their monogamous arrangement, with Lisa attempting to broach the subject in a softened, oblique way, only to have Peter dismiss the topic.

When tragedy strikes and Lisa dies, the world she left behind begins to unravel in unexpected ways. Inside one of Lisa’s shoes, Abigail discovers a note bearing the words “Lake Como.” It’s a small message that hints at a place that seems to hold some secret significance for her mother. Around this time, Peter also uncovers a voicemail that speaks of a romance, and an email addressed to Lisa that arrives from someone named “Ralph,” along with a password-protected folder labeled “Love.” The combination of these clues leads Peter down a troubling path of doubt, and he becomes convinced that Lisa was having an affair.

In a moment of impulsive judgment, Peter responds to the email with a hard, cutting line:

The Lisa you loved is no longer here.

Yet Ralph continues to write, convinced that he is still communicating with the woman he believed to be his lover. Peter gains access to Lisa’s private folder using the password “Lake Como,” and the hidden files reveal intimate photographs of Lisa in Milan with another man. Driven by suspicion and a need to know the truth, Peter has an employee trace Ralph’s IP address, pulling back the veil to reveal a residence in Milan.

Determined to confront the man behind the messages, Peter travels to Milan and pursues Ralph Cortés, a cosmopolitan who is half-Spanish and half-English. The chase leads him to a chess café where a cautious, lingering conversation begins. Over a series of meetings, Ralph, unaware of Peter’s true identity, lays bare a twelve-year affair with Lisa. He speaks of having fallen in love with her despite knowing she was married, and he believes that Lisa will soon renew their relationship.

Meanwhile, Abigail grows anxious about her father’s fixation and, worrying about his safety, discovers Ralph’s messages. She calls Ralph on Lisa’s phone, confirming the affair in stark terms and prompting a confrontation with Peter in Milan. It becomes clear to her that her father has become dangerously consumed by a need for revenge and answers. The two of them watch as Peter’s obsession deepens, and their relationship frays under the strain of unresolved questions.

Seeking a way to unmask the truth, Peter adopts a risky ruse—posing as Lisa in emails to Ralph and arranging a rendezvous at Lake Como. Ralph, thrilled by the prospect of a reunion, receives funding from “Lisa” to stage an opulent dinner in London that would seal their bond. With money in hand, Ralph purchases new clothes and makes his way to the Villa d’Este, certain that he’ll be reunited with the woman he loves.

But what arrives at the Villa d’Este is a different reality. There, Peter finally reveals his true identity to Ralph, showing that he is, in fact, Lisa’s husband, and that she died of cancer. The moment is heavy with revelation and sorrow, and the film grants us a series of flashbacks that deepen the sense of loss. In those memories, as Peter and Abigail care for the dying Lisa, she asks them to capture the place where she was happiest. She writes down “Lake Como” for Peter to find, and Abigail hides the note in one of the shoes that Lisa wore the day she first met Ralph. The confession from Ralph arrives with honesty, admitting that his own pretensions about wealth were a lie, and that Lisa knew the truth all along and had even paid off his debts. He insists that she truly loved him, and Peter is left to absorb the weight of the truth and the fragility of the life they shared.

Returning home, Peter makes a conscious choice to attend the dinner that Ralph has arranged, inviting Abigail and George to join him. Gathered with Lisa’s friends and loved ones, he puts aside his anger and delivers a heartfelt toast to his wife’s memory. In that moment, a quiet reconciliation unfolds: Abigail begins to heal, and George is welcomed into the family with a new sense of acceptance. As for Ralph, he starts a new life as a hospital orderly in London, carrying with him the memory of Lisa and the complicated truth of their past. By the time they return home, Peter and Abigail have found closure in Lisa’s death, and the family moves forward, honoring her memory and the love that endured beyond the secrets.