"Without belaboring the plot-which is so ingrained in us that you're basically born with it-Meursault is a quiet young man whose uneventful life is interrupted by the death of his mother. While Meursault performs the basic tasks of traveling to her retirement home and holding vigil, he doesn't show any emotion. He instead remains expressionless. Nevertheless, he begins dating the beautiful Marie (Rebecca Marder), strikes up an ambivalent friendship with his abusive next door neighbor Raymond (Pierre Lottin), and, well, you know the rest."
"In some respects, Ozon probably remains too faithful to the source material, lifting so much dialogue from the text the film's language feels overworked. Still, he does make a couple of inspired choices. The film begins with a newsreel that introduces us to the story's Algiers setting like plenty of gazey French eyes would've seen it at their local theater. He also attempts to give the Arab characters defined traits and makes pains to show the prejudice they're forced to confront."
Chicago International Film Festival emphasizes international cinema by showcasing acclaimed foreign directors and notable overseas titles. The festival featured returns from François Ozon, Agnieszka Holland, and Radu Jude, with films addressing literary figures and social fissures. François Ozon's cinematic adaptation of Albert Camus's The Stranger focuses on Benjamin Voisin's Meursault, an ambivalent, expressionless protagonist. Ozon lifts significant dialogue from the novel, sometimes producing overworked language, but also makes inspired choices such as opening with a period newsreel and attempting fuller characterization of Arab characters to highlight the prejudice they face. A comparatively conventional film by an often-eccentric director stood out among three off-kilter selections.
Read at Roger Ebert
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]