Movie Review: The Stranger

 Film Number 17 of 2026

The Film: The Stranger (L'Etranger)

The Cinema: Palace Cinemas Balwyn

Runtime: Two hours two minutes

In French with English subtitles

Stars: 4.5

Okay, this is another case of being so glad I read the book before seeing the film. The classic novel by Albert Camus is incredible - as is this film. One of my writer friends, Fee suggested we go. We're friends from both of my French trips and I'm never one to say no to a French film. Fee studied the novel extensively at university - I read the book over the last two days. It's incredible. 

What Francois Odon in this marvelous piece of cinema is a take on the classic novel, keeping all of the plot points and adding a heap more. It's superb. 

 For those not familiar with the book, we follow the life of Meursault (Benjamin Voisin). To paraphrase the first words of the book, his mother died, either today or yesterday. He can't be sure. 

You soon learn a couple of things about Meursault. He lives in Algiers, working a boring office job. He's very contained. He's a man of few words. And he sees the world as it is. Some would see him as an absurdist, some nihilistic. 

On arriving back from his mother's funeral, he meets up with his soon to be girlfriend, Maria (Rebecca Harder) and hangs around with his friend, Raymond (Pierre Lottin) and somehow gets involved with his life. After Raymond is threatened by a group of Arabs after assaulting on of their sisters, Raymond ultimately shoots one of them. Meursault is put on trial, through which he displays his usual indifference. The film ends as he waits to see his fate. 

Cheerful stuff. 

This is an absolutely gorgeous film. It's in black and white and this lends itself to the story, its themes and the oppressive nature of life in Algeria in the 30s. The black and white also amplifies the oppressive nature of life in Algeria in the 1930s. 

Benjamin Voisin is an absolute joy to watch. Odon's lens tends to the homo-erotic - which is not a bad thing. He is a beautiful man. The only time he shows anything that resembles emotion is in the final scene in the prison with the priest. It is almost word for word from the book. 

Fee and I left the cinema content. Both of us, with knowledge of the book said the following. 

• Meursault is on the autism spectrum (they didn't have words for this back then)
• Yes, the film felt homo-erotic at times. 
• The black and white format was perfect for the film
• And it doesn't matter if Meursault or not - we're all going to die in the end anyway.

This comes recommended, especially if you like art house films. I also recommend reading the book, all 120 pages of it, as it is a masterpiece. You don't have to do this, but it certainly helps in your understanding of this understated, fabulous, somewhat difficult film. 

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