All Of Us Strangers Review

Plot: A screenwriter drawn back to his childhood home enters into a fledgling relationship with a mysterious neighbour as he then discovers his parents appear to be living just as they were on the day they died, 30 years before.

 Film: All Of Us Strangers

Director: Andrew Haigh

Writers: Andrew Haigh, Taichi Yamada

Starring: Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell, Claire Foy

Pairing professional sad boy Paul Mescal with master of emotions Andrew Scott was pure genius and their chemistry is electric -though I believe Andrew Scott would have chemistry with a perfect stranger if you gave him a script and five minutes.

Adam (Andrew Scott) is living alone in a new build tower block when one night he has neighbour Harry (Paul Mescal) knocking at his door, drunk and looking for company. It’s late so Adam sends him away, though it’s clear Harry has made an impression on him; but we’ll get back to that later. 

It’s obvious that Adam is dealing with some level of depression, avoiding work as a writer who is attempting to write about his parents, who tragically died in a car accident when he was twelve. In the hopes of reconnecting with that part of his life, Adam returns to his childhood home where Adam meets his mother (Claire Foy) and father (Jamie Bell), as they were thirty years ago. 

All Of Us Strangers sees Adam explore his relationship with his parents now that he’s as old as they were when they died. Coming out to them and asking them questions about his childhood that he’d been to afraid to ask as a twelve-year-old. I loved this exploration of grief, being able to have real conversations with your loved ones, not just the good but the bad and the ugly too. Adam goes back to his flat and developing relationship with Harry, raising the question of; is living in the past worth jeopardising your future? 

Harry sees Adam and can sense his loneliness as someone struggling with it himself, which leads him to be more insistent, not allowing Adam’s apprehension to outweigh his desire and they begin a passionate affair which might be exactly what they both need, if Adam can let go of the past; but sometimes letting go isn’t for the best. 

The story is captivating, the acting is stellar, and the cinematography is beautiful, especially those of scenes that are just shots of Andrew Scott in good lighting. I think this is a film that you should avoid watching alone, get a loved one to watch it with you and enjoy letting your emotions run wild.