The Stranger

FRANCE, 2025.

RELEASE DATE: 29 October 2025 (France); T.B.A. elsewhere. 

Any literary fan will be excited, or at least curious, to see how a director like François Ozon interprets Camus’ classic novel L’Étranger. They can rest assured that the outcome is a faithful and elegant adaptation: it does full justice to the original story, and goes beyond. The film adopts the perfect cinematographic mood to convey its themes: shot in black-and-white, the aesthetics feel timeless and seem to echo the protagonist’s dichotomous outlook. The cast is also well selected, falling naturally into their roles.

Set in colonised Algeria, the plot follows Meursault (Benjamin Voisin), a young man who can be described as aloof yet innocuous, with a matter-of-fact attitude. A tragic event in his life leaves him unaffected, which stirs some puzzlement among his acquaintances. Shortly after he starts dating his former colleague Marie (Rebecca Marder), he passively becomes involved in a series of events that quickly spiral into irreparable damage. 

The protagonist is brutally honest, rational, and removed from social codes. Seen from a traditional philosophical lens, he is existentialism personified. Yet, with our modern understanding of neurodiversity, some of his traits could also suggest a form of autism. This reframing would lend even more complexity to Camus’ character study. Ozon repaints Meursault in a softer hue, allowing for traces of vulnerability, which invites the question of whether he is incapable of emotion or simply not externalising it in the way society demands. The ambiguity is part of the film’s strength: it shows that regardless of whether Meursault’s emotional detachment is innate or a philosophical stance, he must still confront the irrationality of existence, and society will judge his indifference harshly in any case.

Some films exist to remind us why cinema is so dreamy. The powerful source material coupled with the director’s skill make for a gripping and contemplative cinematic experience, narrated in a charming visual language. The intellectual layer offers ample opportunity for post-viewing analysis. On a more immediate level, the mood is what establishes dramatic intensity: a sense of stillness pervades, but beneath ordinary interactions and moments of ennui is a sustained feeling of foreboding. There’s a vague unease expressed through the musical score and even in silences.

The story gets a contemporary update by embracing a modern perspective of colonialism. The film empowers the Arab characters by giving them names, alluding to their backstories and offering a glimpse of their emotional experience. The character simply referred to as ‘the Arab’ by Camus becomes Moussa Hamdani. The choice of name is likely a nod to Kamel Daoud’s The Meursault Investigation (2013), the novel that reimagines The Stranger from the Algerian characters’ viewpoint. Taking small but significant artistic liberties sets off a slight shift in tone which adds further value to the film.