The Stranger

In this intense adaptation of the classic Albert Camus novel, Arthur Meursault (Marcello Mastroianni) is a bored clerical worker in 1930s Algeria who is completely isolated from his surroundings. His alienation leads to sudden, mystifying attacks of violence, and eventually culminates in his arbitrary shooting of a man on a beach. In the ensuing trial, the full extent of Meursault's existential crisis becomes alarmingly clear to judge, jury and prosecutor.