The Stranger

Set in Algiers in the late 1930s, The Stranger follows Meursault, a restrained clerk who attends his mother’s funeral with unsettling calm. He slides into a casual romance with Marie, then tumbles into a troubling alliance with his neighbour Raymond. Life inches along with a heat haze around it, until a sudden, violent incident on a drenched beach disrupts everything. As events unfold, Meursault’s ordinary detachment collides with social expectations, moral judgments, and a society turning wary of his blank exterior. François Ozon reinterprets Camus's novel through a modern lens, keeping the focus on character and atmosphere rather than melodrama. The result is a tense drama where choices feel as heavy as the heat, and the air itself seems charged.

Directed by François Ozon, The Stranger is an adaptation of Albert Camus's novel The Stranger, with script by Ozon and Philippe Piazzo. Benjamin Voisin stars as Meursault as the film reimagines the moral parable for contemporary audiences, opening in 2025 and abroad.

Box office data for the film has not been officially released, as the movie rolls out through festivals and international platforms before wider distribution. It has been shown at several European and Asian events, while distribution varies by territory globally.

As of now there are no announced major awards for this release. Early critics note Ozon's restrained handling of Camus's material and the way the cast renders existential detachment. The film stands as a precise study of morality under pressure rather than a showpiece, with performances singled out for restraint.

The film centers on alienation and moral ambiguity, inviting viewers to weigh indifference against social expectations. Ozon uses long takes and sun drenched visuals to convey heat and stillness, while Voisin's Meursault avoids melodrama, letting restraint speak for the character's uneasy conscience and memory across various territories worldwide for audiences.