Currently streaming on Disney+ is the LGBTQ+ British romantic fantasy-drama, All of Us Strangers. Written and directed by Andrew Haigh, and based on Taichi Yamada’s novel, Strangers, the movie stars Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell, and Claire Foy, and follows the story of a lonely screenwriter looking back to the past.
In the movie, Adam is a film and television screenwriter who lives a quiet, secluded life in a block of flats in London. Adam keeps himself to himself, but over time starts to develop a romantic relationship with his neighbour Harry
When he’s not seeing Harry, Adam is working on a new script about his parents. His mother and father died in a car accident just before Adam turned 12, but he wants to feature them in his next story.
As Adam delves deeper into the past, he revisits his childhood home, where he is inexplicably met by his parents. They look exactly as he remembers them, their house still maintains an 1980s aesthetic, and he is able to reconnect with them after all these years apart.
Over the coming days, Adam spends more time with his mum and dad getting to know them. In turn, he shares aspects of his current place in life, as an openly gay man who is embarking on a new relationship.
Every once in a while a movie comes along which not only impresses, but also knocks you for six. One of these movies is All of Us Strangers – an emotionally charged picture, which talks the talk, walks the walk, and gets under the skin.
All of Us Strangers is without doubt a superb film. It tells a story of loss, grief, acceptance, and love, which is all expertly overseen by filmmaker Andrew Haigh and played out by his brilliant cast.
The picture is a true rollercoaster ride which takes audiences to some moving and surprising places. It blends together fantasy and romance, along with sorrow and nostalgia, to create a remarkable tale which doesn’t put a foot wrong.
At the heart of the story is Adam’s interactions with his parents, who appear throughout the majority of the movie in an unexplained way. One minute Adam tells Harry his parents died when he was young, the next minute they appear on screen as their younger selves, and the film just asks you to go along with it.
Are they ghosts? Has he somehow travelled back to the 1980s? Is he having a breakdown? Or could it be something else? It all gets explained eventually, but for a considerable time the audience is left to contemplate the outcome.
While that contemplation takes place, the movie gives Adam the opportunity to spend time with his mum and dad. Here is able to share his life with them, and work through various thoughts, feelings, and emotions which have built up inside him over the years.
The death of Adam’s parents robbed him of various milestones and discussions throughout his teenage/adult years, but now he is able to get some of this missed time back. He can have frank and open conversations with them, particularly when it comes to his sexuality, and is able to communicate about the ups and downs of living through the ‘80s and ‘90s as a homosexual.
One of the most moving conversations in the movie involves a ‘coming out’ scene between Adam and his mother. Sat around the kitchen table, Adam explains that he is gay to his perplexed mum who finds it all very surprising.
With this scene, which is set within an ‘80s bubble, Adam has to deal with outdated attitudes and stereotypes which are now (thankfully) a thing of the past. The conversation touches upon the AIDS crisis and the belief that homosexuals lead a lonely life, and Adam gets to experience what it would have been like telling his mother the truth when the world thought very differently.
This scene is a difficult one to watch, but one of many in the film which really nails the importance of having conversations with your nearest and dearest while you can. This film is all about the need to address things which are often left unsaid, but should be shared with those you love.
Leading the film is the marvellous quartet of Scott, Mescal, Bell, and Foy. Each actor brings so much to the screen and they make their parts their own.
But as good as they are individually, perhaps more importantly is the way in which the actors interact with each other. While Andrew Scott is the lead star, this film is very much an ensemble piece which requires all four actors to bring their A-game.
Writer/director Andrew Haigh has a masterful command over the story he’s telling, as well as a clear vision, but he still requires actors who are committed and ready to give it their all. He gets this and more from his players and it all comes together effortlessly.
On a personal level, various aspects of All of Us Strangers really hit me hard. I’m an openly gay man, who grew up in the 1980s, who had a couple of coming out conversations, and who recently lost a parent.
There is plenty in this film which I connect with on various levels and it certainly hit me in the feels. I’m also more than familiar with all of the ‘80s elements of the film, from the fashion and set decoration through to the music and more, and it certainly took me on a whirlwind journey.
The concept of going back to the past and revisiting lost loved ones is also not lost on me. Only recently, I had a dream in which I returned to a childhood home in a similar way to Adam in the movie, and I now realise I’m not the only one who feels the way I do or has the thoughts and feelings I have experienced following a loss.
Films are often described as entertainment, but the stories being told are really a reflection of human emotions and experiences. All of Us Strangers is this in a nutshell, especially when it comes to grief, and it’s just a brilliant movie.
All of Us Strangers is a mesmerising, heartfelt and heartbreaking film which tells its story in the most beautiful way. It has the power to move, and is recommended for those looking for something deep and meaningful to get lost in.
The performances are all pitch perfect, while the writing and direction are truly captivating. I have only love and praise for the film and I say well done to all involved.
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