No ennui for this French film about an emotionless man.
“The Stranger” opens like a vintage French film with the black and white look and classic music that fits the ambiance quite well. I was beginning to think about how Richard Linklater became nostalgic with “Novuelle Vague.” But the more I watched it, the more I acknowledged how emotionless the main protagonist is, and instead of going for the overly sentimental or angry approach in conflicts or pathos, it goes to for the deadpan approach.
Based on Albert Camus’ novel, we meet a young indifferent French man named Meursault (Benjamin Voisin) in 1930s French Algeria, who finds out that his mother passed away. And even so, he expresses no sorrowful emotions. Not even a tear in his eye. After her funeral, he goes to the beach, where he reunites with a former secretary from his firm named Marie (Rebecca Marder) and sparks a romance with her. Not that he’s the love bird kind of guy anyway. And he doesn’t even care about being offered a job at a new film in Paris. Come to think of it, happiness and drama makes no difference to him. He just doesn’t care about anything.
And speaking of which, the movie opens with Meursault being in prison for killing an Arab, centers with him shooting him on a beach, and continues with the trial for his life. His ennui greatly affects the court, so don’t expect any Jimmy Stewart or Gary Cooper speeches. Expect Voisin giving a terrific performance when he stares and says how he’s feeling or what he’s supposed to say as advised by his lawyer. I’ve read in an interview, in the press notes I was provided, that he examined the book, as well as works by Nietzsche, Camus, and Paul Valery, and was looking for his inner stillness to portray the character. And it was quite exhausting to him in the end (“Meursault is my most physical role,” he says). Now that’s when I know an actor has been committed to a role.
“The Stranger” isn’t always in focus with the supporting characters as much as the main protagonist, but this is still a worthy entry in director Francois Ozin’s filmography. The black and white images, photographed by Manuel Dacosse, set the moody ambiance of the character and the emotional people around him, and you start to feel some classic cinema vibes within. “Novuelle Vague” was a love letter to the French New Wave of cinema, while this one is a love letter to people with ennui. I’m mentioning both kinds of French films for the way their characters are viewed in different ways, but have some old fashioned magic in them.
I think this may have been the French film I was expecting out of “Alpha,” because it doesn’t go through the motions and it allows you to view this character with curiosity. The amazing thing is, Meursault wouldn’t care what you or I felt about him, and in his own narration later on, he makes the notion of not understanding the meaning of life and death in any aspect.
On an important closing footnote, “The Strangers: Chapter 3,” which I chose not to review, has been released the same year as “The Stranger.” And it is imperative that you don’t get them confused. Look up the title, cast, and poster, and you’ll know the difference. I’m glad I reviewed “The Stranger.”
Now in Select Theaters
