All of Us Strangers Review: A Heartbreaking Generational Story!
Our relationships with our parents are some of the most profound and complicated connections we must navigate in our lives. There is always a strong distinction between who our parents think we are versus who we have become and the side of us they will most likely never see. This comes from a combination of them wanting to hold onto the child they always imagined and our hesitation to open up our whole selves to them after so long.
All of Us Strangers follows Adam (Andrew Scott), a gay man who lost his parents (Jamie Bell and Claire Foy) in a car crash at the age of twelve. After returning to his old suburban house, he finds his parents are mysteriously living there, possessing the bodies they had right before they died. As he begins to form a relationship with them again, he also meets a new neighbor in his apartment building, Harry (Paul Mescal), whom he begins to form a strong romantic bond with.
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As far as relationships go, Andrew Haigh has created a generational film that touches on the pain of lost relationships and trying to build new ones in the process. All of Us Strangers is able to explore how relationships, no matter what kind, play a part in the development of who we are and what that means as we seek out new ones. The depth the audience sees in Adam’s new found relationship with the ghosts of his parents along with his romantic relationship with Harry further emphasize what they mean for one another.
Adam’s loneliness of a life without his mom or dad and trudging through life as a gay man in the 90s without a clear direction impacts how he opens up to Harry. Although they are not from two very different generations, the age gap as two men in the queer community could not feel further from one another. Adam grew up during the AIDS epidemic, possessing fears of his identity in ways that Harry did not have to take on as much. Adding in the time period Adam’s parents grew up in, which comes up through his visits with them, Haigh is able to harness the idea that although Adam is growing closer to Harry and his parents, they are all products of their time that make them all feel like strangers.
ALL OF US STRANGERS, a new film by Andrew Haigh, arrives in theaters December 22nd. #AllOfUsStrangers pic.twitter.com/hUKTh2hzrS
— Searchlight Pictures (@searchlightpics) September 28, 2023
The film is able to navigate Adam’s loneliness in a world without guidance from his parents in a heart-breaking way. There is a feeling of melancholy throughout with the understanding that although Adam is able to reconcile with the parents he never got to know, the temporary nature of the situation looms over the audience. As we begin to fully feel the connection between Adam and Harry, Haigh breaks our hearts even more as the true scope of their relationship becomes evident. Haigh does a brilliant job of breaking the audience in a way that never feels too difficult to handle while also giving us hope in Adam’s ability to rebuild his life after being able to rediscover the past.
Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal’s chemistry is electrifying to observe, feeling so natural from their first meeting, despite Adam’s hesitations. Although the film separates its scenes with Adam and his parents versus Adam and Harry, everything feels connected in Harry’s journey navigating both at the same time. Claire Foy and Jamie Bell also give outstanding performances as they share scenes with Adam separately and as a family.
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All of Us Strangers is one of the few movies that feels very specific to the community portrayed by its subject while also exploring themes that are universal. It will be released in limited theaters in December but it is certainly a film to seek out in the closest theater you can find.
‘All of Us Strangers’ Rating – 4.5/5
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