CFF: The Stranger

Dir. François Ozon | 2025 | 122 mins | French with English Subtitles

The Stranger, directed by François Ozon, is nothing short of audacious — a haunting, razor-sharp cinematic meditation on alienation, identity and moral ambiguity. In his bold adaptation of Albert Camus’s existential classic, Ozon doesn’t simply retell the story; he reinvents its emotional core with a daring, contemporary slant.

Rising French star Benjamin Voisin delivers a superb portrait of disaffection in a bracingly lossless transfer of book to screen that relishes the novel’s menace and mystery. His performance is magnetic — detached yet simmering with suppressed emotion, he perfectly embodies Camus’s existential anti-hero, caught between guilt, grief and indifference.

From its opening frames, the film exudes confidence — its stark, sun-bleached cinematography and precise framing conjure both the heat and moral chill of Camus’s world. Ozon’s pacing is unhurried yet gripping: every silence hums with tension, every shadow conceals a question. His direction is masterful, teasing ambiguity while stripping away sentimentality to expose the raw philosophical heart of the story.

What makes The Stranger so remarkable is its restraint — a film that breathes with the same existential clarity as the novel, but pulses with fresh cinematic energy. Ozon has created a work that is both faithful and fiercely alive, a chillingly beautiful reflection on what it means to feel nothing in a world demanding meaning. 

"A true gem in every respect" – Fabien Lemercier, Cineuropa

Age Guidance: 15

This event is part of Cornwall Film Festival find out more about Cornwall Film Festival and MorMedia here: https://www.mormediacharity.org/about

CFF: The Stranger

Friday 21st November, 4.45pm

Tickets: £8.00/£7.00/£4.50

A £1 Poly Fund payment is added to each ticket sold. A 50p booking fee is also applied per ticket for online and telephone transactions.

Please be aware films will start at the advertised time, we rarely show adverts and usually show under 5 minutes of trailers.