As featured in the recent Alliance Française French Film Festival, François Ozon’s version of Albert Camus’s extraordinary 1942 novella, brings the themes of the original text to a modern audience with a couple of slight variations.
Set during the French colonial occupation of Algiers, and organised in part as flashbacks, The Stranger tells the story of the handsome Meursault (Benjamin Voisin) who is a restrained loner who works unambitiously as an office clerk. His daily routine is disturbed when he receives a telegram that his mother (Mireille Perrier), who he has put into a nursing home outside of Algiers, has died. At her funeral he remains aloof in his dealings with the nursing home staff and does not shed a tear at her funeral.
After returning home, he establishes a relationship with Marie (Rebecca Marder) , a former colleague, who he meets at the city baths and she becomes his girlfriend but to whom he remains detached. He interacts impassionately with his neighbour Salamano (Denis Lavant) who is violent towards his dog which later disappears. He also has another sleazy neighbour, Raymond (Pierre Lottin), who beats and exploits his mistress, Djemila (Hajar Bouzaouit). However, Meursault is indifferent to the actions of both men. Meursault helps Raymond to write a letter to further entrap Djemila, and Raymond is then followed by her brother who seeks vengeance against him. Meursault and Marie with Raymond visit a beach house of a friend of Raymond which leads to a fight on the beach and later in the day Meursault shoots and kills Djemila’s brother. Meursault is put on trial where his detachment to the events of his life are highlighted.
While Ozon remains faithful to the themes of Camus’s original ideas, he has made slight changes to the original narrative, which may annoy purists of the book, but these changes help to refresh the story for a modern audience. Ozon and cinematographer Manuel Dacosse presents The Stranger in glorious black and white which adds gravitas to the themes and sense of authenticity to the time it is set, furthered by their detailed faithfulness to the period in the whole film.
Benjamin Voisin as Meursault is superb, portraying him masterfully as Meursault descends from office clerk to death row inmate. Rebecca Marder, Pierre Lottin and Denis Lavant also deliver excellent performances. Swann Arlaud’s performance late in the film as the Priest is additionally outstanding.
The Stranger grapples with the point of human existence which is as relevant today as it was when Camus’s novella was first published in 1942 and probably always will be. Ozon’s version of The Stranger is a very good representation of this important story.
Reviewed by Rob McKinnon
Rating; 4 out of 5
Distributor: Music Box Films
François Ozon’s version of Albert Camus’s extraordinary 1942 novella, brings the themes of the original text to a modern audience.
