In 1930s Algeria, the daily life of an indifferent Frenchman is shaken by the death of his mother and a fateful encounter on a beach.

The prolific French director François Ozon’s latest film is an adaptation of Albert Camus’s classic novel ‘The Stranger’ (or ‘L’Etranger’ in French), which has surprisingly only been adapted a couple of times before (and never by a Frenchman). For those unfamiliar with the plot like myself, it is set in French Algeria prior to Algerian Independence, and tells the story of an indifferent man who finds himself in trouble with the law weeks after his mother’s funeral. I understand the novel is considered a philosophical classic about existentialism, and that outline will go a long way to explaining my broad indifference to the film as a whole.

The film begins with the death of our central character Meursault’s (Benjamin Voisin) mother, and thereafter follows Meursault has he goes to his work as a clerk in Algiers, starts a relationship with Marie (Rebecca Marder), and finds himself involved in the lives of two male neighbours, rumoured pimp Raymond (Pierre Lottin) and the elderly Salamano (Denis Lavant – as memorable as he always is). In all aspects of life, Meursault appears to be neither here nor there, reacting much the same to the death of his mother, a marriage proposal and an ask to help a neighbour who has been accused of beating a woman. It is this last point that will drive the key moment in the story, which leads into a trial that will delve into themes of colonialisation, the French attitude to the indigenous people of Algeria and their expectations of a man such as Meursault.

Ozon has decided to shoot the film in black and white and there’s no doubting that ‘The Stranger’ is superbly crafted with great visuals, but I felt it was a really difficult story to get into in large part due to the central character and his lack of passion about anything. Appreciating this is undoubtedly the point of the story as it were, and is taken from the novel, I do wonder if it connects differently on the page than in this adaptation, or perhaps Ozon has done a solid job of adapting a story that is fundamentally something I may have struggled to get into in any medium.

Rating: 3/5

Directed By: François Ozon

Starring: Benjamin Voisin, Rebecca Marder, Pierre Lottin, Swann Arlaud and Denis Lavant

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt36243564/