ALL OF US STRANGERS (2023)
It can be difficult to come to terms with tragedy and allow yourself to be loved, as Andrew Haigh’s latest film All of Us Strangers, proves.
Struggling writer, Adam lives a lonely existence, residing in a near empty apartment building in London. When he is visited by a fellow tenant, Harry, asking to share a drink, Adam politely refuses and closes the door on a potential break from his monotony. Deciding to pay a visit to his childhood home to spur his creativity, he is surprised to find his parents still occupying the home, in their same form as the day they died when Adam was 12.
Continuing to visit his ghostly parents, Adam finds the courage to take a chance on Harry. As Adam continues to develop both of his new found relationships, he finds that sometimes trauma is not as easy to heal as he once thought.
Andrew Haigh has created a simple and yet stunning adaptation of author Taichi Yamada’s Strangers. Dwelling on the struggles and therapy of dealing with suppressed feelings that have been brought on by a tragedy, Haigh uses the quiet moments to give the audience time to digest what it means to be a grown adult dealing with such grief.
His screenplay is not dialogue heavy and his direction is simple but that is all a story like this needs to be told realistically. The intimate moments resonate stronger when we are allowed to just watch two people find solace in one another’s arms without sweeping music or forced dialogue.
The chemistry between Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal only heightens the intimacy in the film due to having such a natural connection. Whether there are simply holding each other close or dancing at the club, the audience never doubts the infatuation that they hold for one another. There is a reality to their story that very few films seem to authentically convey. Yes, the film crosses into the science fiction genre but it doesn’t impede on the realism of Adam and Harry’s romance.
Giving remarkable supporting performances are Jamie Bell and Claire Foy who portray Adam’s deceased parents. Forced to come to terms with the fact that so much time has passed and that their son is gay in a world that they still believe is cruel and unforgiving to queer people, Foy and Bell bring these flawed characters brilliantly to life.
While All of Us Strangers is technically a gay love story, it is really a story about humanity. Finding love where we least expect it, coming to grips with the fact that life is full of tragedy but also light, and providing hope for a promising future. It is simply a travesty that The Academy neglected to celebrate the film, especially Andrew Scott who give perhaps the finest performance of the year.
