Movie Review: The Stranger

5 stars out of 5

When I was 17 years old, it seemed like everyone I knew owned the Standing on a Beach compilation by The Cure. There was a sticker on the outer packaging asserting that were absolutely no racist overtones whatsoever to the song “Killing an Arab.” And that’s true; the lyrics are simply a neat summary of the 1942 novella The Stranger by Albert Camus, which I have never read. And now I don’t have to — and after 40 years the Cure song makes perfect sense — because I’ve seen the movie The Stranger and I loved it.

We are in French-colonized Algeria in the 1930s, and we meet handsome young Meursault (Benjamin Voisin). He is like the honeybadger in that he doesn’t give a shit about anything: his job, his dead mom, his girl Marie (the intriguing Rebecca Marder), etc. etc, because NOTHING MATTERS. This is the concept of existentialism which is very appealing to college students and also everyone else at some point or another if they stop and think about it for about four minutes. Meursault’s behavior (or lack thereof) is frustrating to the people he encounters but, you know, shrug.

I”m not going to spell out the plot except to say that Meursault kills an Arab and also stands on a beach. The movie is in black and white and looks spare and exquisite. Meursault travels out to the countryside and meets some old people who look very sad and very real. Director Francois Ozon has done an excellent job. Twenty-three years ago he made a sexy thriller called Swimming Pool which I also loved.

There is a 1967 Italian adaptation of The Stranger by legendary director Luchino Visconti, starring the great Marcello Mastroianni, and I will certainly seek that out. (And yes, maybe maybe I’ll read the book.) But it’s interesting to me that this is a French version, A belated apology of sorts to Algeria; sorry we colonized you and treated your own people like second-class citizens.

Your reaction to this movie may hinge on your own feelings about existentialism, or at least your willingness to consider it for 2 hours. You may become frustrated as well as Meursault bats away one big topic after another: death, love, right/wrong, religion, as you wait for him to betray some shred of humanity. Personally, I found it fascinating and utterly compelling.

Plus a song plays over the end credits which really delighted me.