Featuring: Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell, Claire Foy
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Director: Andrew Haigh
In Cinemas: 26th January 2024
One night in his near-empty tower block in contemporary London, Adam (Andrew Scott) has a chance encounter with a mysterious neighbour, Harry (Paul Mescal), which punctures the rhythm of his everyday life. As a relationship develops between them, Adam is preoccupied with memories of the past. He is drawn back to the suburban town where he grew up and the childhood home where his parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell) appear to be living, just as they were on the day they died 30 years before.
When we first meet Adam (Scott), he seems to live an isolated and lonely existence in a high-rise apartment block in London, almost cast away from the real world. A screenwriter suffering from writer’s block, he is trying to explore his childhood, and in doing so, he begins to imagine having connections to his late parents as if they were still alive. He also starts to develop a relationship with Harry (Mescal), seemingly the only occupant in his apartment building. The film presents as a psychosocial drama, and the filmmaking gets deeper and deeper into Adam’s mind and begins to construct who he is beneath his emotional past life experiences. Andrew Haigh does an exceptional job of creating a tone that has not been experienced or seen before, especially in some of his other films and TV shows. The film tends to move back and forth between an overall warmth and something that is strikingly terrifying and eerie. Many of our main character’s choices contribute to creating a dream-like atmosphere that becomes convincing and engaging when going on a journey with him through self-discovery. The film succeeds in being a portrait of a very fractured and multifaceted mind.
It often feels like something artistically always goes addressed, and the cinematography is always impressive, with jarring and hazy lighting choices. The windows in Adam’s apartment are so open that in certain scenes, there are moments when the sunset is directly reflected in the room, giving it a pleasantly tranquil quality, which complements the psychological elements of the movie and the mental hypnotic score, creating a trance-like state. Solid and immersive camera framing shots and angles always communicate volumes about the characters and how they relate and interact with each other, giving the viewer a subjected mindset. The film starts to pull at our heartstrings when we are introduced to Adam’s parents; there is almost a relatable and emotional connection instantly when unravelling familiar traits and similarities in everyday society. That’s when the film’s charm begins to work so well for us as an audience; we start to think about the questions that we would ask loved ones who have died, giving the possibility of having that chance. There is almost a hopeful and curious spark when faced with and realising that second changes might never come. The authenticity and realism about grief and meaning are constantly moving and captured beautifully when exploring his self-discovery.
There are unexpected moments when he connects to himself as a child, which is highly vulnerable and sombre. It is refreshing to experience and watch the emotional trust Andrew Haigh gives the audience; something here will personally resonate with viewers, and it is crucial to investigate the significance of that, much like our main character. The film seems more robust when it is subtle and explores the ideas underneath the surface without being direct. The conversations with his parents after a certain point started to become very upfront and unhealthy about him, suggesting some things that cannot be accurate when compared to modern society. The film redeems itself when we see the contrast between Adam exploring his past with his parents and then being presented with this new opportunity and relationship with Harry. The acting quality and performances are excellent, quite fitting, and suited to the general theme and tone of the movie. Andrew Scott expertly displays the anguish and inner thoughts of hurt and pain through his eyes and facial expressions, which can do a lot of storytelling. ‘All Of Us Strangers’ will undoubtedly rip your heart and slowly put it back together. But towards the end, and only momentarily, the film unnecessarily finishes with a purposely overdramatic and cynical ending involving a well-known song that unfortunately disconnects us from the overall message.
Overall: 8.5/10
Movie Reviewer
