All of Us Strangers
Year: 2024
Director: Andrew Haigh
Starring: Jamie Bell, Claire Foy, Paul Mescal & Andrew Scott
Runtime: 106 mins
BBFC: 15
Published: 26/04/24
Director: Andrew Haigh
Starring: Jamie Bell, Claire Foy, Paul Mescal & Andrew Scott
Runtime: 106 mins
BBFC: 15
Published: 26/04/24
Welcome to the latest episode of a film I didn’t see in the cinema because the trailer lied to me. When I saw the trailer for All of Us Strangers, I was expecting a somewhat melancholic LGBTQ+ romance movie about a man discovering his homosexuality in later life. What I actually got was my heart ripped out by a psychological drama of coming to terms with grief and accepting your own sexuality. I don’t think I’ve been catfished this hard since Bridge to Terabithia, so let’s talk about All of Us Strangers.
Lonesome television writer Adam (Andrew Scott) is one of only two occupants in a block of high-rise flats in London. The other being night owl and free spirit Harry (Paul Mescal). Alongside this blossoming romance, Adam is in the midst of writing his next screenplay which explores the life of his parents (Jamie Bell & Claire Foy) who died when he was twelve. But as Adam gets deeper into the screenplay he begins to talk to the spirits of his parents about his sexuality and life following their deaths.
Lonesome television writer Adam (Andrew Scott) is one of only two occupants in a block of high-rise flats in London. The other being night owl and free spirit Harry (Paul Mescal). Alongside this blossoming romance, Adam is in the midst of writing his next screenplay which explores the life of his parents (Jamie Bell & Claire Foy) who died when he was twelve. But as Adam gets deeper into the screenplay he begins to talk to the spirits of his parents about his sexuality and life following their deaths.
It’s tough to give a synopsis of the film without kind of spoiling it, but there’s more to All of Us Strangers than just talking to dead people, and when the film reveals its full hand I’d be surprised if you’re not a little lost for words.
I was definitely unsure what I thought of it, but I think a lot of that was because of the trailer that gives the entirely wrong impression of the film (focusing on the party sequences and new romance of Adam & Harry, almost entirely neglecting the Adam talking to the ghosts of his dead parents’ story).
In fact, I actually found that part of the story to be the most interesting. Having Adam have hard conversations and meaningful catchups with his dead parents was quite moving. Most of the conversations revolve around Adam’s sexuality and their views on it, especially considering they died during the AIDS epidemic and at a time when homosexuality was still generally frowned upon.
Foy & Bell give excellent performances and for me Foy was the highlight of the whole film. A stern but caring mother who’s painfully aware of her own mortality, she was great to watch.
I think the film didn’t strike as much of a chord with me as it could have done had I been better prepared for the type of film All of Us Strangers is. But revealing what kind of film it is would ultimately dull the impact of its brutal and heart wrenching ending. I’m not sure I could ever return to it, but I’m definitely glad I did take the chance to watch it.
I was definitely unsure what I thought of it, but I think a lot of that was because of the trailer that gives the entirely wrong impression of the film (focusing on the party sequences and new romance of Adam & Harry, almost entirely neglecting the Adam talking to the ghosts of his dead parents’ story).
In fact, I actually found that part of the story to be the most interesting. Having Adam have hard conversations and meaningful catchups with his dead parents was quite moving. Most of the conversations revolve around Adam’s sexuality and their views on it, especially considering they died during the AIDS epidemic and at a time when homosexuality was still generally frowned upon.
Foy & Bell give excellent performances and for me Foy was the highlight of the whole film. A stern but caring mother who’s painfully aware of her own mortality, she was great to watch.
I think the film didn’t strike as much of a chord with me as it could have done had I been better prepared for the type of film All of Us Strangers is. But revealing what kind of film it is would ultimately dull the impact of its brutal and heart wrenching ending. I’m not sure I could ever return to it, but I’m definitely glad I did take the chance to watch it.