Movie Review | 'All of Us Strangers' 

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Andrew Haigh's films are always about longing and connection — sometimes in the pursuit of the truth. Whether between two men in “Weekend” (2011); a couple whose marriage is upended by past secrets in 2015’s “45 Years”; or a young boy and a horse in “Lean on Pete” (2017); Haigh's films are often contained dramas about human connection in all its forms.

"All of Us Strangers," Haigh's latest movie, is a combination of what he does best. His characters are searching for connection in a lonely world, while also trying to reconcile the past in ways they never thought they would be able. Andrew Scott (Hot Priest from "Fleabag," Moriarty from “Sherlock”) stars as Adam, a screenwriter who lives in a seemingly empty high rise. One night, Harry (Paul Mescal) knocks at Adam's door, drunk and flirtatious. Adam rejects Harry's initial invitation to hang out, but soon a relationship begins to form.

In between finding connection with Harry, Adam returns to his childhood home, where he sees his parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell, respectively credited as Mum and Dad). How are his parents still in their home, as he once remembered them, even though they died in a car accident 30 years prior? Haigh's movie isn't looking to create supernatural twists-and-turns with an ethereal ghost story, but use the parent figures as a vessel for Adam's ability to live fully as a 40-something-year-old man. Adam is constrained by a life of unanswered questions and missed milestones with his parents, but the story gives him an opportunity to find catharsis in their absence.


The small cast of "All of Us Strangers" is very good, but the movie is a showcase for Scott to stand out as a dramatic leading man. His performance has already garnered him a Golden Globe nomination and a Best Actor win from the National Society of Film Critics, because he carries the movie's dramatic weight as a man who has lived a life of longing. Longing for love and healing, Scott carries a lifetime of Adam's experience in his eyes. Foy and Bell each have moments of great weight with their son, reacting to a lifetime of missed conversations.

Haigh adapted "All of Us Strangers" from Taichi Yamada’s 1987 novel "Strangers," but manages to make the adaptation feel more personal. All the goodwill the movie builds up threatens to crumble as the screenplay's third act revelation begins to feel melodramatic and forced. The idea of having Adam speak to his deceased parents could have easily played like a gimmick, but Haigh found a natural way to work it into the storyline. Unfortunately, the final moments of the movie feel like the most obviously scripted, which make it feel the most false. Ending a good film on the right note is hard, which Haigh proves with "All of Us Strangers."

“All of Us Strangers” opens at The Little Theatre on Friday, January 19.

Matt Passantino is a contributing writer to CITY. Feedback about this article can be directed to [email protected].