The Stranger has appeared on Netflix in a discreet way, just as it manages to worm its way into the minds of viewers, leaving lingering chills after the credits roll. This serial killer film is based on a true story, where an individual of interest (called Henry Teague in the film and played by Sean Harris) was suspected of kidnapping a child, prompting Australian police to launch a sting operation to obtain a confession. The real story is terrifying enough, but the movie Thomas M. Wright is a true lesson in angstimbuing every element of the story, atmosphere and characters with a sense of dread.
'The Stranger' is based on a true story
Everything in The Stranger engulfs you in a cocoon of anxiety, from the first moments when the words “inspired by a true story” appear on a black background. The film is inspired by a real sting operation in Australia that took place during an eight-year manhunt for Brett Peter Cowansuspected of kidnapping and killing 13-year-old Daniel Morcombe (played by James Liston in the film). As Edgerton explained to the Sydney Morning Herald, the names of those involved were changed to protect their identities, having not even met the real undercover police officer because ” [ils] were investigating the truth, taking that truth and telling a fictionalized version of it, which is intended to protect all concerned.”
The real equivalent of Mark actually connected with the suspect by dragging him into a fake criminal organization that the police had set up, in the hope of recording a confession, which is legal and admissible in court in Australia. The film is based on a book which detailed the covert operation, The Sting: The Undercover Operation That Caught Daniel Morcombe’s Killer by crime journalist Kate Kyriacou, but much of the story is fictional. This allows The Stranger to convey the genuine despair that shadowed every part of the investigation, amplified by Wright's assured direction. The film shifts between the interactions between Mark and Henry and the police work in the background, constantly reminding us that Henry, who appears to be a normal if strange man, is actually much more sinister.
Anxiety permeates the atmosphere of 'The Stranger'
We are continually reminded of Mark's goal and await the confession, creating a sense of fatalism in the friendship and the entire situation. From our first meeting with Henry, he interacts with a stranger on the bus who introduces him to Mark and offers him a job in this enigmatic criminal organization. Harris Captures the Blank Stare of a Haunted Manoften repeating that he “never did violence,” thus creating an unsettling presence that draws our attention to him. As the film and the central friendship progress, Harris combines his enigmatic air with convulsions of mania, causing our senses to tremble as he disrupts the film's dreary silence.
Dim lighting tires our eyes throughout the film, mostly interrupted by cold, harsh scenes of police work, led by Jada Alberts as chief detective. The darkness makes events feel corrupt and manipulatedas if corrupting the film from the inside, overwhelmed by the weight of its subject. Paired with a twilight soundtrack, each narrative beat leaves us deeply disturbed. Meanwhile, the cold lighting of the police scenes and Alberts' dark narration act as a guiding truth, drawing us into the investigation.
Edgerton plays a haunted undercover cop in 'The Stranger'
The anguish caused by these events leaves no one unscathed, especially Mark, who must face the cost of a secret identity and the impact Henry's darkness has on him. Edgerton's intense performance illustrates the weight of this traumatic work, as he keeps his sentences short and his gaze often lost when he's not on assignment. Even the aspect of concealment is unsettling, as he sports a rough beard and stooped posture that mirror Henry, thus establishing a subliminal connection between them. It becomes all the more disturbing through Mark's innocent scenes with his son, reminding us of the inner torment he must be feeling — he attempts to befriend and identify with a child murder suspect .
Wright meticulously explores Mark's inner conflicts through dream sequences skillfully woven into the narrative. He is often awakened by Henry's face invading his dreams.a particularly memorable night evokes his paternal love, where Henry sits serenely at the foot of his son's bed. The fears, uncertainties and constant pressure weighing on him manifest in these scenes charged with despair, building an inescapable terror as the consequences of this undercover operation hit Mark, Henry, the police and us in its dark embrace.
The Stranger is available for streaming on Netflix.
To close, The Stranger raises thoughts about the impact of crime not only on the victims, but also on those who try to unravel these horrific stories. The psychological impact on investigators is an often forgotten but crucial aspect in understanding crime, and this aspect deserves to be further explored in the cinematographic field.
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