Part romance, ghost story, and even mystery, All of Us Strangers is a unique film that is so much more than a love story as adapted and directed by Andrew Haigh.
A writer, Adam (Andrew Scott is excellent), lives alone and has a chance meeting with Harry (Paul Mescal), the only other tenant in the building. The two men form a relationship that grows passionately in short order, but Adam is tentative and troubled, being haunted by deep, personal loss and needing to reconnect with his parents (Jamie Bell, Claire Foy). His emotional journey will revisit past trauma and painful memories as he seeks to free himself and find peace.
Told from Adam’s point of view, the film, instead of flashbacks, draws from a plot device allowing him to reunite with the ghosts/spirits of his parents. (It even leaves open the possibility that he is dreaming or imagining them.) This allows the principals both past and present to interact in meaningful ways not unlike films with similar DNA including The Sixth Sense, Field of Dreams, and Jacob’s Ladder. The unresolved feelings he shares with his parents are a way to revisit and bring himself closure from his troubled, lonely childhood that has resonated his adult life. This culminates in a moving scene signifying reconciliation and resolution when Adam realizes what he must do.
Though
its British dialogue can be challenging, it is well worth this compelling
journey which touches the heart and stirs the soul. It
presents a totally authentic depiction of love (for his parents and for Harry)
and the perpetual bonds that transcend death. Devoid of overt sentimentality, Haigh has made
a sensitive, compassionate film, one open to deep interpretation about the
mosaic of life, and an unforgettable gem in the rough.
*****
of ***** stars
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