The Stranger

A crime film set in Australia. A child went missing years ago. The file was never closed, no body was found, and there is only one suspect, against whom there is no evidence. The police try another route. An organisation is built: a false criminal network, false jobs and false people. Henry is taken into that network. He is given small jobs, paid, and slowly drawn in. Mark is his contact. He is undercover and his work is to be a friend. From there the film is about the relationship between two men. Long drives, hotels, cigarette breaks and conversations at night. The logic of the operation is simple. The organisation promises Henry advancement but says his past must be cleaned up first; he is expected to tell. What the narrative is interested in is not crime but carrying: what the film really watches is what happens to Mark; he cannot go home, cannot sleep, and cannot look after his own son. The tone is deliberately dark. Most scenes are shot in low light, the sound is suppressed, and the music gives weight rather than suspense. The narrative does not show violence. The crime itself never enters the image and the film keeps it out on purpose. The source is a book describing a real undercover operation carried out in Australia. The names and details are changed. Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris and Jada Alberts are in the cast. Thomas M. Wright wrote and directed. Who it is for: anyone who likes slow crime films built on atmosphere. Who it is not for: anyone expecting a clear resolution; the film withholds information deliberately and some sections are hard to follow.