Living in the past possesses a powerful allure.
Who among us can say they are wholly satisfied with every choice made or made for them and wouldn’t jump at the chance for a do-over? The option to re-litigate the past is even more powerful against the backdrop of tragedy. The present and the future matter, yes. However, the ghosts of what was or could’ve been are compelling sirens, either pulling you back or holding you still, frozen in time as they are.
In All of Us Strangers, Adam (Andrew Scott) is a man in a deep freeze. The screenwriter lives alone in a London flat and prattles around, watching Top of the Pops reruns. Adam’s one interaction is with Harry (Paul Mescal), a neighbor who drunkenly visits him one night. Harry brazenly hits on Adam, but Adam, even though intrigued, turns him down. The encounter pushes Adam to visit his childhood home, with his parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell) greeting him. What separates this from being an ordinary visit is that Adam’s parents died 30 years ago on Christmas Day. Adam is interacting with his parents’ ghosts, as physically frozen as he is emotionally. His time with his parents begins clashing with his romantic connection with Harry, forcing him to question if he can live both lives.
Before introducing the specters in Adam’s life, director Andrew Haigh infuses his film with an ethereal aura. His camera choices and Jamie D. Ramsay’s stunning cinematography create the impression that Adam’s world isn’t quite right, even if it resembles modern-day London. Scenes often fade or blend into each other, skewing perspective and blurring what’s real or a figment of imagination. He builds otherworldly intimacy between Adam and his loved ones by framing them in sharp angles and close-ups or positioning them against mirrors to create an endless reflection. Haigh directs from the razor’s edge of fantasy and reality, but his confidence keeps his film from slipping into discomfort. Instead, his atmosphere exudes enticing warmth. It helps communicate the rules of Adam’s peculiar circumstances without explicitly stating them and conveys their overwhelming appeal.
All of Us Strangers is grounded in the power of seduction. The past and the present seduce Adam, both unwittingly battling for his attention, if not his soul. The past offers tantalizing glimpses of what could’ve been, the relationships Adam could’ve had with his parents if they had lived. At the start, there is a bewildered but ecstatic hunger for reclaiming lost time, with the mother practically buzzing for details about Adam’s life. In these initial interactions, you can see why Adam would want to return to this improbable space. It can be awkward, especially as Adam negotiates what to share with his parents, but the familiarity is intoxicating. Every second heals a piece of Adam’s splintered insides. Given the number of pieces, of course, he would want to spend as much time with them as possible.
Adam’s progress with his ghostly parents opens him up to more carnal, meaningful relations with Harry. Haigh expertly captures the complexities of their physical relationship, from the tentative and awkward advances to the more explicit ecstasies. He levels off Adam and Harry’s intense sexual connection with an emotional depth unfamiliar to Adam. Haigh often folds both into their scenes. Harry runs a bath for a weary Adam and touches him in erotic and comforting ways while extended pillow talk bathed in soft orange-red light follows their first time in bed. Just as Adam’s parents heal his past self, Harry heals Adam’s present. Harry gently coaxes Adam towards a richer existence where he can fall in love for the first time. (Haigh leverages Adam and Harry’s age difference to thoughtfully explore their respective generations’ cultural and political realities, including the AIDS crisis’ role in shaping sexual identities and attitudes.)
Ultimately, Adam must choose which seductive force offers him more. Adam’s parents grant him answers to his questions about their reactions to his sexuality that, while painful in their honesty, further free him from his arrested development. He also indulges in childhood pleasures, like hanging up Christmas ornaments and snuggling with his mother after a nightmare. For his part, Harry pulls Adam further into the real world, sharing dances (and drugs) in a hazy London nightclub. In turn, Adam opens his solitary life to Harry, cuddling with him on the couch watching reruns. Although Haigh makes compelling cases for both, he knows nostalgia isn’t much of a life. Still, he extracts surprising insight from the third act’s inevitable choice and stunning twist. He shows us a changed Adam who can heal someone the way his loved ones healed him.
Andrew Scott beautifully realizes Adam’s spectral journey in one of the year’s most heartbreaking performances. He takes full advantage of Haigh’s tight framing to communicate a staggering range of emotions through a prism of ache. Scott remarkably holds space for both child and adult Adam, expressing through his eyes which interaction harms or heals which identity. Scott’s sharply tuned performance never feels forced or unnatural; he is effortlessly present and honest every second. The actors surrounding him operate at the same height. Paul Mescal starts as a gleefully unhinged force meeting Scott beat for beat. However, he gracefully cedes space to support Scott with sizzling sexual chemistry and lovely gentleness, all while conveying a complex, unknowable inner life. Claire Foy and Jamie Bell are excellent as Adam’s parents, brimming with excitement at getting to know their son while also weary and cautious of the implications.
All of Us Strangers furthers Andrew Haigh’s claim as one of the foremost storytellers of our yearning to be seduced into more meaningful interactions. His dance with the spirits of the past and present makes for a powerful examination of what compels us, how grief shapes us, and what it means to be truly alive. With sublime direction and a brilliant ensemble, it is one of the most sensuous and essential films of the year.
All of Us Strangers has been selected to play as part of the Main Slate section at the 2023 New York Film Festival. The film is set to debut in theaters on December 22, 2023 courtesy of Searchlight Pictures.
Director: Andrew Haigh
Writer: Andrew Haigh
Rated: R
Runtime: 105m
All of Us Strangers furthers Andrew Haigh’s claim as one of the foremost storytellers of our yearning to be seduced into more meaningful interactions. His dance with the spirits of the past and present makes for a powerful examination of what compels us, how grief shapes us, and what it means to be truly alive. With sublime direction and a brilliant ensemble, it is one of the most sensuous and essential films of the year.
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GVN Rating 9.5
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A late-stage millennial lover of most things related to pop culture. Becomes irrationally irritated by Oscar predictions that don’t come true.