The Stranger Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Stranger Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 10, 2026

Albert Camus' The Stranger and Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit were "required reading" for many, either due to a classroom assignment or simply personal choice, the latter of which may as well as anything highlight one of the tenets of existentialism. One of the many ambiguities in Camus' novel in particular is its very title, which seems to refer to its "outsider" anti-hero, Meursault (played in the film by Benjamin Voisin), but which really could just as easily be referring to the victim of a murder central to the story, an Arab who, in Camus' original version at least, is something of a cipher, with no name, no context and no dialogue. The murdered character therefore was a potent if pretty subliminal symbol for an oppressed, "anonymous" Arab population under French colonial rule in Algeria, where the story takes place. Saliently, then, François Ozon's 2025 film adaptation (Ozon provided both the screenplay and direction) opens with newsreel footage that deconstructs the colonial relationship between France and Algeria, with the newsreel's cheery vintage narration extolling the benefits French rule brought to the "savages" clashing dramatically with some of the actual footage. Right there Ozon has probably provided more "cultural" context for the story than anything Camus offered, at least overtly, in his writing, and there are several other changes Ozon has made to the underlying tale (including giving the victim a name and relatives) that may frankly undercut the original's intent, but which also add a certain "humanizing" element which may not be strictly "existentialist" but which may in fact allow easier access for viewers.

Along with naming the victim, Ozon's version also introduces the victim's supposed sister as well as offering a more substantially developed version of the story's central female character, Marie (Rebecca Marder). Those with a grounding in Camus' original may well chafe at some of these "updates", and it's undeniable that Ozon attempts to fashion a more comprehensive account of the sociopolitical underpinnings of the story (as alluded to above), all of which may kind of ironically (given Meursault's own emotional detachment) dissociate the cinematic version from the original despite the fact that Ozon is obviously attempting to inject emotion into a story that relies at least on part in an absence of "human feeling". The result is a bit uneasy tonally, but with absolutely ravishing black and white cinematography and a really nuanced lead performance from Voisin, Ozon offers something quite distinctive, even if it may in fact be a bit of a "stranger" itself when compared to the original.

The Stranger Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Stranger is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Music Box Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.67:1. The IMDb lists the Arri Alexa 35 but as of the writing of this review fails to specify the resolution of the DI, though I suspect given the native capture resolution and look of this that it was 4K. While maybe not strictly "high contrast", the sumptuous black and white cinematography by Manu Dacosse certainly comes close a lot of the time, especially in some of the sun baked outdoor material. Ozon's typically "arty" framings often have foreground characters somewhat out of focus with those deeper in the frame seemingly where attention should be paid, but commendably detail levels are typically excellent even given these stylistic flourishes. "Actual" close-ups with looming faces virtually filling the entire frame also deliver exceptional fine detail levels. Some of the jail material a bit on the murky side, perhaps intentionally.

The Stranger Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Stranger features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 options in the original French (occasional non French dialogue involving prisoners also occurs, sans subtitles, adding to the "outsider" status of Meursault). The sound design offers some really luscious ambient environmental effects, but probably the most noticeable sonic element is an almost hallucinatory score from Fatima Al Qadiri which combines what might be called "ethnic" Algerian instrumentation and vocals with more traditional Western symphonic elements. All of the aforementioned get noticeably more spacious accountings in the surround track. Dialogue is rendered without any issues. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Stranger Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interviews with director Francois Ozon, Benjamin Voisin and Rebecca Harder (HD; 18:59) are subtitled in English.


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 3:23)


• Outtakes (HD; 7:04)


• Costume and Lighting Tests (HD; 6:25)


• Poster Featurette (HD; 3:10) is basically a photo gallery.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:57)

The sleeve features an inner print.

The Stranger Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This may not be "your father's" (or Albert Camus') The Stranger, and probably needs to be accepted as such, but on its own merits this is a really intriguing refashioning of the original which may frankly not completely duplicate Camus' dissociative original, but which has its own distinctive mood. Technical merits are solid and the supplements enjoyable. Recommended.