The Stranger

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The Stranger

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Drama

Crime

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Tomatometer

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90%

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83 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

In French Algeria, Meursault drifts through life and love with mysterious detachment. When he stands accused of murdering an Arab man, indifference is his only alibi in François Ozon's fresh take on Albert Camus's classic novel.

Critics Consensus

Cleverly contextualizing Albert Camus' existentialist classic within a modern political lens, François Ozon's The Stranger is as intriguing to mull over as it is beautiful to look at.

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (LAist)

1d

I like that it's in black and white. I think the black and white makes it work -- makes the "heat" work!

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David Sexton

New Statesman

Apr 29

Here’s an accomplished Stranger for today, the story we wish [Albert Camus] had written, rather than the one he himself maintained he had.

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Chase Hutchinson

Seattle Times

Apr 24

3.5/4

By the time it closes with its unexpectedly mournful yet gently searing final frames, reinterpreting and expanding on the enduring source material one final time, it names all that Camus did not.

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Charles Solomon

FilmWeek (LAist)

1d

The biggest problem is not being inside [the main character's] head. You get not only the lack of communication, but no understanding of "why?"

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Neal Pollack

Book & Film Globe

6d

5/5

The Stranger is in beautiful black-and-white, and at times feels like something restored from the golden age of Italian neorealism, or the French New Wave.

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James Verniere

Boston Movie News

Apr 29

A-

Camus' classic novel, an existential landmark, is given a haunting homoerotic twist under the direction of France's Francois Ozon.

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greg s

Apr 12

I thought it was a brilliant telling of Camus story, but with a sensuality I had not considered.

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Simon

Apr 12

Beautifully filmed. Excellent acting. And, importantly, faithful to the book.

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Melissa

Apr 11

Hypnotic retelling of Camus novella.

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Michael

Apr 4

Great retells by of Camus’s novel. Acting was superb and I am a huge Ozon fan.

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C

3d

Well done technically but I didn’t like the main character.

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Jonas S

@RT94167113 6d

Impeccably crafted from its brilliant source material, Ozon's adaptation is the cinematic translation of the book. Voislin *is* L'Etranger and with the exception of the scene with the priest, the spirit of the entire production is a defining realization of Camus.

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François Ozon

Director

Benjamin Voisin

Meursault

Rebecca Marder

Marie Cardona

Pierre Lottin

Raymond Sintès

Denis Lavant

Salamano

Swann Arlaud

Aumônier prison

The Stranger: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

In French Algeria, Meursault drifts through life and love with mysterious detachment. When he stands accused of murdering an Arab man, indifference is his only alibi in François Ozon's fresh take on Albert Camus's classic novel.

Director: François Ozon
Producer: François Ozon
Screenwriter: François Ozon
Distributor: Music Box Films
Production Co: Gaumont, FOZ, France 2 Cinéma
Genre: Drama, Crime
Original Language: French
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 3, 2026, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 19, 2026
Box Office (Gross USA): $242.9K
Runtime: 2h 0m