Algiers, 1938. Meursault, a quiet and unassuming employee in his early thirties, attends his mother’s funeral without shedding a tear. The next day, he begins a casual affair with Marie, a work colleague, and quickly slips back into his usual routine. However, his daily life is soon disrupted by his neighbour, Raymond Sintès, who draws Meursault into his shady dealings — until, on one blisteringly hot day, a tragic event occurs on a beach.
"I realised that diving into L’Étranger was a way of reconnecting with a forgotten part of my personal history. My maternal grandfather was an examining magistrate in Bône (now Annaba), Algeria, and he escaped an attack in 1956, which hastened my family’s return to mainland France. While working on documents and archives, and meeting historians and witnesses of the time, I realised to what extent French families all have some connection with Algeria, and that a heavy silence still often weighs upon our shared histories." (François Ozon)
François Ozon
Born in 1967 in Paris. After obtaining a master's degree in film from Paris I University, he studied directing at the famous French film school, La Fémis. Many of his short films have screened at various international festivals. Sitcom, his first feature, was in competition at the 1998 Cannes Festival. The rare combination of humour, sensitivity and psychology has earned him international acclaim and established him as one of the most daring and original French filmmakers.