The Stranger: The Australian movie making waves around the world

A previously little-known Australian movie is currently the third most watched movie around the world on Netflix.

Around the time of the 2009 release of Beautiful Kate, Rachel Ward’s brilliant but demanding family drama, a debate kicked off about why Australian films are so frequently “dark and depressing”.

It was driven by bad faith, negative arguments that audiences don’t want anything challenging, especially stories that puncture our national myth of Australia as an easygoing, Lucky Country where everything is sunshine and smiles.

We know all too well that there is a malevolent seam which runs through Australia’s foundation, and it serves no one to ignore it in the storytelling of our national identity.

The furphy that Australians don’t want these screen stories wasn’t true then, and it certainly isn’t true now.

The Stranger is as dark as it can get, although, like many Australian films that provoke, it has a redemptive soul.

And it is wildly popular, not just here but also globally.

After two weeks on Netflix, Thomas M. Wright’s film about a covert police operation trying to snare a child-killer is currently the third most watched English-language Netflix original movie on the streaming platform. It’s clocked up 28 million hours viewed.

It’s arguably an unexpected result for a movie that had minimal marketing compared to the biggest blockbusters. But Netflix does have a knack for propelling a little-known project into the top 10 with the power of its platform alone.

The Stranger has clocked 28 million hours watched. Picture: Netflix

Look at the Dahmer series. It had very little promo activity and quickly became the streamer’s second most watched English-language original series.

It’s certainly surprised star and producer Joel Edgerton. “How did we ever get to this place without ever really banging the drum on it,” he asked.

“It’s funny because we set out to make this film because we really cared about it.

“And I think there’s this feeling when you make any Australian film that unless you’re maybe a George Miller or a Baz Luhrmann and you have a budget upwards of $100 million, it’s not really a profit exercise.

“I’m excited by the amount of people that have watched it but it’s still not a profit exercise. As a filmmaker, I want as many people as possible to see the work that we do.

“I’ve had disheartening experiences in the past with Australian films. Our work can be perceived as ‘small’ and I don’t think that’s the right way of looking at things.”

How does an Australian movie without the marketing budget to match a Marvel epic compete for the same audience?

“Ask yourself a question of how universally resonant the themes are. A film could be made in any corner of the world and it will find its way and stand the test of time,” Edgerton told news.com.au.

“It may not light the box office on fire, but it will find a people who will pass it along.

“Even a film like The Stranger, it’s a patient watch but it’s thrilling. It’s worth the watch.”

Edgerton as Mark and Sean Harris as Henry. Picture: Netflix

The Stranger, produced by See-Saw Films, punched into the top 10 list in 54 countries, and for audiences around the world, they may not be aware of the film’s backstory. It’s that connection which has seen it mired in some controversy at home.

Loosely based on the nonfiction book The Sting: The Undercover Operation That Caught Daniel Morcombe’s Killer, The Stranger is linked to one of the most memorable crimes of this century.

The Morcombe family have been opposed to The Stranger, arguing it was “callously disrespectful” for the filmmakers to tell this story.

The producers released a statement pointing to the fact the names of all involved had been changed. The film also does not depict the victim or the crime and it does not go into grisly details about what happened.

Instead it is focused solely on the undercover police operation, a complex clandestine plot to befriend a killer and elicit a confession.

Edgerton plays “Mark”, the cop who draws Henry (Sean Harris) into a Truman Show-esque web of small-time criminals who are all secretly police officers.

It was the character of Mark, and his real-life counterparts, which convinced Edgerton there was a worthy story here to tell.

“With the right care and attention, if the point of view is specific and valid, the question of whether true events can lead to a narrative story is a valid conversation to have,” he said.

“In our case, we distance ourselves a certain amount from real events.”

Edgerton said the filmmaking team has not been explicitly trying to “capitalise” on the Morcombe case.

The production hasn’t mentioned the case unprompted while promoting it, and they were contractually obligated to credit the full title of journalist Kate Kyriacou’s book, The Sting: The Undercover Operation That Caught Daniel Morcombe’s Killer, in the film’s credits.

“It’s not our intention to attach ourselves to any of those conversations.”

The Stranger is streaming now on Netflix. Picture: Netflix

Edgerton was interested in crafting a story about the work of the undercover cops, and the compression and emotional weight of what they do. That’s the story he, as a producer, took to Wright.

The filmmakers met undercover operatives and people connected to them – but, of course, they could never divulge the details.

“These people are crucial to society and in their role, they suffer a lot, such as the residual effects of the compression of tension in the day-to-day job they do,” Edgerton said. “You’ll never know who they are, where they are. If you meet them at a party, they’ll lie to you about what they do for a living.

“Part of my fascination about undercover work is that it’s a one-take situation. It’s one go at a convincing lie where the stakes are enormous.

“I don’t like violence in my life, I don’t like to get into tense situations.

“I’m such a people-pleaser but I get to go to work and pretend to be in these scenarios, and that’s an outlet for me.

“It’s why I’m fascinated by police and soldiers. I wouldn’t necessarily want to be one but I’m fascinated by the fact they put their lives, their relationships and their health on the line for no patting on the back, no celebration. There’s no applause, there’s no audience.

“I was told the some of the undercovers in this case were awarded in a closed-room ceremony with about five to 10 people in attendance. No cameras. And then they slip off to a new scenario.”

Having been watched by that many people around the world, The Stranger has clearly hit on something. And Edgerton is proud of the work he and the team have made.

“It’s complicated but we’ve done something respectful. I hope people can see that. But I also understand that there are people who will choose not to want to watch it.”

The Stranger is streaming now on Netflix