THE STRANGER

Gripping, beautiful and superb monochrome realisation of Albert Camus' landmark 1942 existential novel. Set in 1938 Algiers, the narrative follows Meursault, a detached and indifferent clerk. After attending his mother’s funeral without showing any outward grief, he returns home, begins a casual affair, and is drawn into the shady dealings of a neighbor. This chain of events culminates on a blistering day when Meursault inexplicably shoots an Arab man on a beach. During his subsequent trial, society condemns him less for the murder itself and more for his refusal to perform conventional human emotion or fit into expected social masks. Dir. François Ozon, France 2025 123mins 15