There's a magic to writer/director Andrew Haigh's All of Us Strangers, the kind that sneaks up slowly at first before becoming so powerful it's impossible to ignore its pull. A metaphysical romance and family drama centered on Adam (Andrew Scott), a screenwriter processing the enduring grief of losing his parents in a car crash when he was 12, the film is one of the most emotionally wrenching experiences of the year, one that is sure to both impress itself on audiences while calling to mind for anyone who watches it their own journey to understand themselves, their choices and finally, to understand their parents as flawed people, too.
The film is ased on a novel by Taichi Yamada; Adam lives a solitary life in London, writing from his desk and watching the world go by from the window above it. He makes a rare personal connection when his neighbor, Harry (Paul Mescal), invites himself over to introduce himself after seeing Adam through that same window. Reluctant at first, Adam soon warms up to the much-younger Harry, who is kind and curious and gives Adam a sense of security as he navigates through his latest project, an autobiographical script about the death of his parents. As part of his work, he revisits old photographs and eventually goes back to the home he grew up in outside of the city. It's here there's the first hint of magic, as Adam's mother (Claire Foy) answers the door, looking just the same as she did the last time he saw her some decades ago. His father (Jamie Bell) is there too, and the couple welcomes him in like he's just been away for years and only finally made the time to visit.
As one might imagine, this encounter with his parents is emotionally stirring for Adam, and like a dam with a few small cracks in it, the pressure soon builds and little by little, his façade starts to crumble. He begins to let Harry in a bit more, and as their relationship evolves, he begins to let the world in a bit more, too. Each time he visits his parents, there is a catharsis, a confrontation or both, Adam connecting with his long-dead mother and father in ways only possible in the movies or our imaginations. He speaks with his mother about his sexuality and what it's like for him in the modern world; he connects with his father over missed opportunities to show and receive support during formative primary school years. These conversations are not just Adam chatting with the young adults who were his parents then; it's as if he's given a miraculous gift, getting to meet his parents as he most needs them to be, able to be honest, vulnerable, transparent and apologetic. For anyone with parents, living or dead, it's as heartrending as it is captivating.
While Foy and Bell are strong additions to this small but mighty cast, it's Scott and Mescal who are the gravitational forces that will pull you in. Many have noted that movies today seem to have lost their sexiness, that filmmakers shy away from physical scenes and audiences aren't as keen on them as they used to be. Haigh has apparently not received this memo, and we're the luckier for it. As Adam processes his time with his parents, it seems to open up in him a capacity to let Harry into his life in ways that surprise even himself. Both actors are at the top of their craft as two people finding refuge in the other, and the arc of this relationship is one that will haunt my cinematic memories for the foreseeable future.
Filmed in muted tones with a quiet approach to even the most intense moments, All of Us Strangers doesn't need any loud antics or flashy gimmicks to be one of the most powerful films of the year. That is accomplished through Haigh's devastatingly gripping script and the authentic, exposed performances from a cast able to convince us of their pain, grief, passion and regret. And they do it all while navigating some of life's most challenging moments, those where we're confronted with our own limitations and must summon the courage to keep going.
All of Us Strangers opens in theaters on Friday, January 5.
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