British director Andrew Haigh has made a name for himself in the indie sphere with works such as Weekend, 45 Years, and Lean on Pete. I sadly haven't seen any of those previous efforts but I am eager to now, because his latest work All of us Strangers is one of my favourites of the year. The film is based on a 1987 Japanese novel just titled Strangers, although Haigh seems to be very much putting his own contemporary and queer-spin on it making the film feel deeply personal despite it's status as an adaptation. The film follows Adam (played by Andrew Scott), a lonely and somewhat reclusive screenwriter living in a near-empty London apartment building who has a run in with one of his few neighbors, a seemingly troubled man played by Paul Mescal. After this random encounter the two begin to develop a relationship which leads Adam to confront his sexuality and past, often going back to his childhood home where he finds his late-parents just how he remembers them.
With my lack of familiarity with Haigh's other work the real draw for me here was the cast, and boy did they ever deliver. Andrew Scott is the clear star of the show, I've enjoyed him in several supporting roles (haven't seen Fleabag yet though) but this is a truly special lead performance. This is such a complicated performance as he is forced to hold so much in emotionally and he does so while still conveying what the audience needs to know about his feelings and headspace. The way he's able to bottle so much in makes the moments where his emotions slip out a bit hit extremely hard and the way he nails that balance between what to let out and what to hold in is really where the film becomes heartbreaking. While Scott is the clear standout I also really love what Paul Mescal does here. His character Harry is a decent bit younger than Adam and the dynamic that comes from that is quite fascinating. Adam grew up in a time where homosexuality was not nearly as accepted and you can see that through the way he responds to Harry's advances, whereas Harry has grown up in a time where sexuality is becoming more open and less taboo. The end result from Mescal is a performance that still holds the quiet sadness he has shown in his other work but also this kind of freedom in himself that really opens the door for the relationship between the two. It's also worth noting that these two have incredible chemistry, allowing simple moments of them laying in bed or sitting on the couch to carry such weight. I could genuinely just sit in their quiet moments for ages and that's a real testament to the energy between these two.
Aside from Scott and Mescal, the two most notable names here are Claire Foy and Jamie Bell as Adam's parents. This is another pair of performances that really wowed me. Both are living in this sort of limbo of how Adam remembers them and both are forced to confront his future that they missed out on in a pretty heartbreaking way. Haigh allows these physical embodiments of the parents to become a way of allowing Adam to come to terms with the things they never got to know about him, especially regarding his sexuality, and there's a heartbreaking quality to those feelings of missing closure and what ifs that I really loved. Seeing Foy and Bell play out so many hypotheticals alongside so many memories was truly special and both bring a parental tenderness to their roles that was honestly terrific.
From a technical standpoint there is also a ton to appreciate here. Haigh seems to bring a ton of himself to this project and that passion makes itself clear in so many areas. Perhaps my biggest appreciation is that he isn't afraid to get weird and out there with the filmmaking. This is in some ways a quasi-ghost story and he isn't afraid to give it a haunting aura at times, with one scene in particular using it's visuals and sound to create almost a nightmarish identity at a very emotionally intense point of the film. His ability to balance tones is pretty remarkable actually, as these haunting moments often give way to moments of intimate tenderness between Adam and Harry, or a deeply introspective lonely moment from Adam, or even some points where he dips into comedy and gives levity to the story. There are moments where the shifts in tone are somewhat jarring but it works thanks to how tied to Adam's complicated headspace the audience is. Cinematographer Jamie D. Ramsay also deserves a shoutout here, the way shots are lit and composed is constantly engaging and sneakily beautiful, and the way mirrors are used at points in the film is fascinating. The score also has a lot of beautiful moments, while the soundtrack is comprised of songs that fit the themes Haigh tackles really well while helping build up the tone really well.
In case it wasn't clear enough already, I really loved this film. It's complex and deeply emotional giving a heartbreaking portrait of loneliness and regret. Andrew Haigh treats us to brilliant craft and his ensemble is at the top of their game including a show stopping performance from Andrew Scott. The film is set for limited release in the new year so check it out if it comes to a theatre near you.
Great review :)
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