Bafta-nominated film All of Us Strangers stars Andrew Scott as a middle-aged man who returns to his childhood home and has conversations with his long-dead parents. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that the interactions with his parents are imagined, and his parents remain the age they were when they died. His mother and father died in a car crash when he was a child, so his parents only exist within his mind.
As the film progresses, Adam can only speculate what his parents would think of his adult life, his job, his personality and his sexuality. The fact that his parents are only imagined, and thus only exist within his memory, sets the mood for the film. Fantasy and reality blur as the character progresses through life in a dream-like haze.
The film deals with themes of grief, loss, identity and isolation, exploring the idea of a person looking back into the past to understand how to move forward. It’s a poignant, melancholic piece of cinema that is both absorbing and relatable to those who have lost someone close.
All of Us Strangers has been widely praised since its premiere at autumn film festivals, garnering four and five-star reviews. It’s been nominated for six Bafta film awards, including outstanding British film and best director for Andrew Haigh. The film is based on the 1987 novel Strangers by Taichi Yamada. Although the building blocks of the novel are similar to the film’s plot, there are some noticeable differences between the source text and the film.
One of the most significant differences is the film’s exploration of Adam’s homosexuality and his relationship with his neighbour, Harry, played by Paul Mescal. Adam grew up in the 1980s when homosexuality was not accepted in society, a fact that the movie takes into consideration in Adam’s interactions with his parents. The film director, Haigh, was keen to have a gay actor such as Scott play the leading role, enabling the actor to understand the nuances of the character’s experience. Mescal, the actor who played Harry, believes that the director and the film’s intentions are what matter rather than the actor’s sexual orientation.
The idea of imagined conversations will resonate with many, and the film deals with grief and loss in a sensitive yet absorbing way. It’s a challenging and poignant piece of cinema that is both melancholic and optimistic, exploring the idea of how the past can inform the present and the future
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