The Stranger

Director: 

François Ozon

Genre: 

Drama

Country/Region of production: 

France

Synopsis:

Meursault attends his mother's funeral with complete indifference. He cares nothing for the bereavement, or indeed for all worldly happenings in life. The day after the burial, he slips back into his humdrum routine and falls in love with Marie, a female coworker. Later, Meursault commits a fatal crime. Yet the subsequent trial gradually shifts its focus away from the murder itself, centering instead on this detached and unfeeling man devoid of all joy, sorrow and human warmth.

Why we recommend it:

Having previously proven his prowess at breaking free from genre constraints with 8 Women and Summer of 85, François Ozon was well-equipped for filmmaking experimentation. Still, adapting Albert Camus' iconic 1942 novel presented him with an enormous challenge: translating a work steeped entirely in its protagonist's inner consciousness to the silver screen. In the end, he pulled off this ambitious adaptation with great success. Many other directors might opt for a literal interpretation of the source material's core meaning, yet Ozon boldly adopted black-and-white cinematography to strike a perfectly fitting visual tone. Stripping away comforting hues, the film relies entirely on stark light-and-shadow contrast, using chiaroscuro to mirror the protagonist's existential confusion as well as the absurd truth of the world he inhabits. The film's greatest merit lies in its central character: cold and impassive, alienated from both himself and everyone around him, he compels viewers to confront their own souls and contemplate their place in the world. Such a unique viewing experience is truly exceptional.