This is a confronting film on the topic of human loss based on a novel ‘Strangers’ by Japanese author Taichi Yamada. It is interesting on a number of levels: its theme, form and unconventional elements.
It tells the story of a lonely gay man who finds solace with the only other resident in his huge apartment block. The two quickly become romantically involved. However, the central character Adam (Andrew Scott) seems to have issues preventing him from fully enjoying the ‘here and now’ of his previously unhappy life.
We learn he lost his parents in a car crash when he was a child and it is this unreconciled grief which keeps intruding on his present life. This intrusion takes on the supernatural when we see him frequently returning to his childhood home to engage in dialogues with his deceased parents. The aim of these conversations is to let them know all the things he was unable to tell them due to their premature deaths, specifically he comes out to them about his current life and partner.
We see him travelling on the train on various occasion to continue these discussions. These interactions are presented as matter-of-fact conversations which apparently only he can engage in.
All of Us Strangers, 2024. Directed by Andrew Haigh.
These conversations are presented as so matter-of-fact, we engage with the lead character and are keen to see where this otherworldly interaction will lead. Overall, the performances are very good and the realism in enhanced by the location scenes; railway stations, gay clubs, suburban houses and the modern, bleak apartments of the two protagonists. In addition, the scenes of physical intimacy are very realistic and reflect a genuine, mutual affection.
As the story unfolds, many negative elements are explored: grief, loss, protracted mourning, loneliness, isolation. The latter two elements are enforced by the limited cast: there are only four main characters: Adam, his neighbour/lover Harry (Paul Mescal) and his parents (played by Jamie Bell and Claire Foy). The themes of loneliness and isolation dominate the film as we don’t see any other aspects of Adam’s life. Apart from his love interest and his deceased parents, he has no other significant interactions anywhere else in the movie.
All of Us Strangers, 2024. Directed by Andrew Haigh.
These negative undercurrents continue until the concluding scenes with the ending perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the film. These final scenes emphasise Adam’s isolation by calling into question everything he has experienced since the very first scene – the only one we can take for granted as being ‘real’. We are left wondering how much of the story actually happened and how much (apart from the supernatural scenes with his deceased parents) was sheer imagination. The way the film is constructed, it is impossible to resolve this issue. In a way, it basically ‘pulls the rug out from under us’. Many will find the conclusion disturbing and even perplexing.
All of Us Strangers is a haunting film about a man who struggles for decades with unresolved grief and where his dearly departed are a welcome intrusion.