[FILM REVIEW] ALL OF US STRANGERS Review (2024)
Summary: A screenwriter drawn back to his childhood home enters into a fledgling relationship with a mysterious neighbor as he then discovers his parents appear to be living just as they were on the day they died, 30 years before.
Year: 2024
Cinema Release Dates: 18th January 2024 (Australia), TBA (Thailand), 26th January 2024 (UK), 22nd December 2023 (USA)
VOD Release Dates: TBA (Australia), TBA (Thailand), TBA (UK), TBA (USA)
Country: UK, USA
Director: Andrew Haigh
Screenwriter: Andrew Haigh
Cast: Jamie Bell (Dad), Claire Foy (Mum), Carter John Grout (Young Adam), Paul Mescal (Harry), Andrew Scott (Adam)
Running Time: 105 minutes
Classification: MA15+ (Australia), TBC (Thailand), 15 (UK), R (USA)
OUR ALL OF US STRANGERS REVIEWS
David Griffiths and Harley Woods’s All Of Us Strangers Review
David’s rating Out Of 5
Harley’s rating Out Of 5
Alex First’s All Of Us Strangers Review
A sensitive, dramatic, fantasy romance, All of Us Strangers concerns two lost souls.
Unbeknown to each other, they live in the same near empty apartment block in London.
One night a triggered fire alarm sees screenwriter Adam (Andrew Scott) evacuate the building temporarily.
By himself, staring up, he sees only a single illuminated window. Framed against it is a man.
That man is Harry (Paul Mescal), who sees Adam looking up at him and later takes a chance by knocking on his door and introducing himself.
Both men are gay, but Harry is the more forward of the pair.
After an initial false start, their connection is cemented and a relationship develops.
Still, both have endured trauma, isolation and, in Adam’s case, bullying.
Adam is struggling to deal with the passing of his parents 30 years ago – when he was only 12 years of age.
He imagines himself reconnecting with his mum (Claire Foy) and dad (Jamie Bell) in the house where he grew up.
Although he has aged, his folks haven’t.
Adam is warmly welcomed back into their lives and sets about answering their questions as to what has happened in the intervening decades.
That process also reveals a disconnect between Adam and his parents back in the day.
Meanwhile, Harry, too, is hiding a deep-seated need.
Based on a novel by Taichi Yamada, All of Us Strangers has been written and is directed by Andrew Haigh (Lean on Pete).
It is a reflective, slow burn and mysterious work, well realised.
Events unravel in their own sweet time and patience is rewarded.
Andrew Scott is superb – caring and considered – as the troubled lead. It is a heartfelt performance, where much is deliberately left unsaid.
Paul Mescal, too, has layers to his characterisation, imbuing Harry with passion and vulnerability.
Claire Foy brings wonderment and humour to her representation of a mother who knows she could have given more.
There is internal wrestle within Jamie Bell as he tackles dad’s past inadequacies.
Strong on emotional resonance, All of Us Strangers pinpoints the importance of breaking down barriers and letting others in. Andrew Haigh has imbued his film with a great deal of sensitivity.
Alex’s rating Out Of 5
Average Subculture rating Out Of 5
Other All Of Us Strangers Reviews
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