Story perspectives

François Ozon's L'Étranger Explores Race and Indifference in Colonial Algeria

4/7/2026

Summary

Ozon Directs Camus

François Ozon, the French film director, directs a screen adaptation of Albert Camus's L'Étranger.
Benjamin Voisin portrays Meursault in a film set in 1940s French Algeria.
The film opens with archival footage of Algiers to establish the colonial setting.
Critics note that Meursault's indifference to his mother's death and his frivolous behavior drive the narrative toward a violent act against an Algerian man, raising questions about race and morality.

1 of 1

Ozon Directs Camus

François Ozon, the French film director, directs a screen adaptation of Albert Camus's L'Étranger.
Benjamin Voisin portrays Meursault in a film set in 1940s French Algeria.
The film opens with archival footage of Algiers to establish the colonial setting.
Critics note that Meursault's indifference to his mother's death and his frivolous behavior drive the narrative toward a violent act against an Algerian man, raising questions about race and morality.