All of Us Strangers
Visiting your parents can be healing…even when they’re dead.
Adam Scott ponders the merits of putting himself out there in All of Us Strangers.
No man is an island, but screenwriter Adam (Andrew Scott) comes close. Living in a new building in London, Adam only ever leaves his apartment when the building’s new fire alert system trips. The only other person in the building currently is Harry (Paul Mescal), who likes to drunkenly flirt with Adam when he’s got the chance.
But Adam doesn’t have time for Harry, he’s focused on writing a screenplay about his childhood. There’s only one problem: he doesn’t know what to write. His parents died when he was 12 and Adam is left with only a nebulous sense of who they were. Hoping to shake something loose, Adam takes a trip to his old neighborhood, exploring the area and dredging up memories.
Imagine his surprise when he bumps into his father (Jamie Bell), still looking as he did in the 80s, who smiles and informs Adam that dinner’s nearly ready. Adam follows his dad back to his childhood home and is further shocked to see his mother (Claire Foy) behind the kitchen counter, smiling as she plates food.
After that initial dinner, Adam is elated. Whether it’s a miracle or a sign of a breakdown he isn’t sure, but he knows he wants to see them again. As Adam spends more time with his parents, he’s able to know them in a way a child wouldn’t. In turn, he’s able to let his parents know who he is.
This new connection inspires Adam to take another chance, contacting Harry and sparking a romance. Is Adam’s portal to the past just what he needed? Or is he tampering with something he doesn’t understand?
Tender, impeccably performed, and ultimately hopeful, All of Us Strangers is a lovely meditation on loneliness and isolation in the modern world. Director Andrew Haigh adapted the film from a Taichi Yamada novel, which was itself adapted into a Japanese horror film, using the specters of family to reflect on what it means to belong and find your people. These ghosts aren’t here to terrify you, they’re here to make you breakfast and listen to your stories.
All of Us Strangers makes a point of how often we become strangers to our own family. Adam was not out as a gay man when his parents died. Now he must choose whether to risk the delicate peace he’s found again by telling them and allowing his family the chance to really know him as a person, or keep his mouth shut and enjoy another Christmas as the child they remember.
Haigh expertly weaves together an ethereal sense of time — when Adam’s with his parents it’s clearly the 1980s, but the present day comes crashing in whenever leaves. When Adam stumbles into the present, he always seems a bit lost, as if he’s still finding his footing. The camera cuts wider, and he’s once again isolated in the frame. It’s an impressive feat, and the transition always feels organic. The idea that Adam lost something vital in the 80s, something that allows him to return to this period, is beautifully rendered on the screen.
Though Haigh’s direction keeps the tone delicate and the visuals sumptuous, it’s the four leads that make All of Us Strangers something to behold. As Adam, Scott has the most challenging role. Adam is a grownup, and a fairly successful one, but as he speaks with his parents, Scott becomes a bit more childish in affectation. He’s convinced himself he’s fine, but is he? Did he lose something vital when he lost his parents? Has he ever really recovered from it? As Adam’s veneer of toughness begins to shatter, it’s impressive to watch Scott play with the vulnerability that’s unearthed.
As Mum and Dad, Foy and Bell do an exquisite job of marrying loving parents with products of their time. Dad might love his son, but that doesn’t mean he knows what to say when his son comes out. And yet, the tenderness at the heart of All of Us Strangers never lets anything get too extreme. This is a movie about making connections and being brave enough to let people know you.
If you’re looking for some fantastic acting and delicate storytelling, All of Us Strangers is a must-see. It’s a wonderful example of the power of a quiet story.
Verdict: One of the best of 2023, All of Us Strangers marries magical realism with a treatise on loneliness.
All of Us Strangers is rated R and is available in theaters January 5.
