Andrew Scott is Absolutely Devastating in All of Us Strangers
Screenwriter Adam (Andrew Scott) has a chance encounter with mysterious neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal) one night in his near-empty London tower block in All of Us Strangers. This encounter punctures the rhythm of his everyday life. As a relationship develops between the two, Adam finds himself drawn to his childhood home, where his parents appear to be living just as they were before they died 30 years ago.
The film has a very distinct tone, being set in a seemingly post-apocalyptic London in the 1980s, and is an adaptation of Taichi Yamada’s 1987 Japanese novel Strangers. It is clear that the director Andrew Haigh had a very specific visual goal in mind while playing with the time period and ethereal elements. The use of mirrors and reflections introduced so early in the film starting with Adam opening his apartment door for Harry, introduces the audience to a very visually intriguing and confusing scene. This use of reflection further plays into the aspect of reality and perception. It makes us question, is what we are seeing real or just a reflection of something that once was?
Andrew Scott is absolutely devastating in his portrayal of Adam’s grief, loss, and deep rooted loneliness. The actor has already garnered a Golden Globe nomination for his work in this film and there is no question as to why. His subtle actions and seamless emotional distress is palpable while he balances these emotions in a beautifully compelling way. Being paired with incredible talent such as Claire Foy and Jamie Bell only helped him, but Andrew Scott stole every scene.
The dual storylines here are both rooted in love, one romantic and one familial. Adam has long yearned to know what his deceased parents would think of the man he has grown up to be. In an attempt to dispel the loneliness that stems from the experiences he could have had, Adam finds a way to reconnect with his parents and live through the things they didn’t do but he wished they had. Like the trip he and his parents didn’t take, the Christmas tree they didn’t decorate, the conversations they didn’t have about his sexuality, and the comfort his father never gave him when he was a boy crying alone in his room.
There is a unique dynamic between Harry and Adam that is rooted in a very caring and tender admiration for one another. Their interactions are gentle and compassionate. Never judgemental of one another, but curious. It’s refreshing to see a gay couple portrayed in such a loving way, contrary to the sexually driven depictions the media seems to favor historically. Adam and Harry both harbor a lot of loneliness, largely attributed to their queer identities and the losses due to the AIDs crisis in their community. After finding each other, seemingly the only two people left in the world, they are able to subside some of that loneliness and fear they hold so deeply.
The pacing and editing has you questioning until the very end, is what we are watching a dream, reality, a ketamine induced hallucination, or a tale of ghosts? It is better not to attempt to pin down the exact narrative, but rather feel alongside Adam's character and just experience the story. At its core, All of Us Strangers is a story of grief, loss, and loneliness for a man who is unable to untether himself from the perpetual question of ‘what if?’
All of Us Strangers is playing in theaters.
