‘The Stranger’ is a provocative, intellectual movie, and by the time it's over, Ray's complex characters have won the viewer's respect. But in contrast to earlier movies, in which he juxtaposes scenes of street life with scenes of interior conversation, most of ‘The Stranger’ is shot in the Bose living room.

Sometimes the conversations seem interminable, and the viewer most identifies with the Boses' adorable young son, waiting patiently for the talk to end and something, anything, to happen. Made shortly before his death, ‘The Stranger’ is a fitting ending to Ray's 30-film career -- it was Film of the Year in India in 1992 -- a strong and underlined summing- up statement about capital-M Man and capital-C Civilization.

The film sees Anila receiving a letter from a man claiming to be her uncle, a man who disappeared 35 years prior. He turns up at her family home professing to be an anthropologist, a globally seasoned traveller en route from the United States to Australia. The family, are suspicious of the stranger, believing him to be an imposter with a financial scam to sell. After a grilling from the family’s lawyer, he leaves as unexpectedly as he arrives, leaving behind a stunned family, and some very insightful observations.

SPECIFICATIONS

PAL DVD 9 All Regions
Bengali with English subtitles
Licensed through Contemporary Films Limited Licensed through Contemporary Films Limited