Meursault (Benjamin Voisin) works as a clerk at an office in Algiers during the French colonial occupation. A modest man who keeps to himself, Meursault finds his routine upended by the sudden death of his mother. At her funeral, he faces scrutiny from all corners for his failure to perform his grief. Meursault’s reputation for otherworldly detachment carries over to all aspects of his life, from his tentative romance with Marie (Rebecca Marder) to his indifference to professional advancement. As Meursault gets swept up in a cycle of escalating reprisals among his neighbors, tensions come to a head when he murders an Arab man on the beach. A Frenchman may offer many defenses for shooting an Arab in Algeria, but Meursault’s refusal of excuse or remorse shakes colonial society to its core. Photographed in sterling, sensuous black-and-white, François Ozon’s new take on Albert Camus’s classic novel of existentialist ennui is a landmark of adaptation, simultaneously faithful to the text and dedicated to discovering fresh perspectives in the margins.
Official Selection
Venice Film Festival 2025
Opening Night Selection
Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2026
Official Selection
San Sebastián International Film Festival 2025
"Bold and beautiful... [Ozon] finds an exquisite way to transform Camus’ words into pictures."
Jordan Mintzer
The Hollywood Reporter
"One of Ozon’s richest and most satisfying works in years - that rarest of literary adaptations, one that honors a foundational text precisely by finding something new to say."
Ben Croll
The Wrap
"One of Ozon’s most strikingly beautiful films to date... incredibly stylish, a shimmering monochrome affair"
Damon Wise
Deadline
