2025 · 132 min · Science fiction, drama, horror · Not rated
In an alternate 1981, decades after a global pandemic shattered the world, Sophie returns to New Marseilles to care for her dying mother and uncovers the truth about the father who was executed for a cold-blooded killing.
Synopsis
Civilization has shrunk to a string of theocratic city-states along the North African coast. Sophie comes home to New Marseilles to nurse her dying mother and learns that the man she thought was her father was not, and that her real father was executed years earlier for a killing on a beach. When she meets a stranger who seems to know more than he should, a chain of events pulls her back to the same stretch of sand where her father once stood.
The Stranger is VIDART’s first generative-AI narrative feature, a dystopian thriller inspired by Albert Camus’s novel of the same name, completed in October 2025 at 2 hours 12 minutes. It is currently on its festival run; streaming details will be posted here when they are confirmed. Distributors can reach VIDART at [email protected].
Details
| Title | The Stranger |
| Year | 2025 |
| Runtime | 132 min |
| Genre | Science fiction, drama, horror |
| Rating | Not rated |
| Written, directed and produced by | Michael Szymczyk |
| Production company | VIDART / The Existentialist Film Creative |
| Format | Generative AI, 16:9, color |
Frequently asked questions
Is The Stranger an adaptation of Camus?
It is inspired by Albert Camus’s The Stranger rather than a direct adaptation: the story is moved to an alternate, post-pandemic 1981 and told from the point of view of the killer’s daughter.
Where can I watch The Stranger?
The film is on its festival run following completion in October 2025. Streaming and purchase links will be added to this page when they are live.
How was it made?
Entirely with generative AI video tools for the imagery, with a conventionally written script, edit and sound mix. VIDART uses the same pipeline for commercial generative AI production.
More VIDART films
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VIDART is a Madison, Wisconsin production company that writes, shoots and finishes features, commercials, documentaries and generative-AI projects in-house. Crew and equipment from $1,500 a day across the Midwest.