David Farnor | On 05, Aug 2022

Netflix has picked up the worldwide rights to The Stranger, following its premiere at Cannes this year.

The film, directed by Thomas M Wrright, stars Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris. It revolves around two strangers who strike up a conversation on a long journey. One, a suspect in an unsolved missing person’s case; the other, an undercover operative on his trail. Their uneasy friendship is at the core of the thriller, based on the true story of one of the largest investigations and undercover operations in Australia.

Wright said: “With The Stranger, I wanted to make a psychological crime film that took audiences into a place that was hidden — a film that was authentic and realistic in its detail, but also immersive and cinematic. A film that demanded attention and investment. A film that an audience could lean into — and fall into.

“I centered the film on people who didn’t know the victim, but who devoted years of their lives – and their mental and physical health – to them; because though violence is the reason for this film, it is not its subject. Its subject is the connections between people. That means that, for me, this is a film defined by empathy.

“The ‘Stranger’ of the title could stand for the person responsible for this crime, the victim, those affected by their loss, or the central character in the film — whose name we never learn; or it could stand for the nameless individuals who, in the end, resolve the film.

“For an independent Australian film to premiere in the Official Selection in Cannes, and then be brought to the largest audience anywhere as a Netflix film, is unprecedented. We couldn’t be more proud of this film and to be partnering with Netflix to release it to an international audience.”

The film is produced See-Saw Films, Anonymous Content and Blue Tongue Films. It will have a theatrical release in Australia, before launching on Netflix worldwide in October.

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