Director François Ozon presents a black-and-white adaptation of The Stranger set in colonial Algeria. The story follows Meursault, a withdrawn and emotionally detached Frenchman whose life begins to unravel after the death of his mother and, above all, after the senseless murder of an Arab man on a beach – an act triggered by the blazing sun and the absurdity of the moment. What follows is a trial in which not only the crime itself, but also the protagonist’s “inhuman” indifference toward social norms, is put on judgment.

Ozon pushes the story beyond Camus by giving voice to the victims of colonialism, naming them and emphasizing the inequalities of power, transforming the original existentialist philosophy into a sharp critique of imperial systems. Meursault’s emptiness no longer appears merely as metaphysical absurdity, but also as a product of colonial privilege.

The film premiered at the Venice IFF, where critics praised its visual beauty, measured pacing, and contemporary reinterpretation of Camus’s enduring question: what does it mean to live in a world without meaning, justice, or compassion?

Cast: Benjamin Voisin, Rebecca Marder, Pierre Lottin, Denis Lavant, Swann Arlaud, Christophe Malavoy, Nicolas Vaude

Distributor: Filmtopia