Andrew Haigh is best known for his stripped down gay romance Weekend and the bleak 45 Years, both films which use their dreary atmospheres to amplify the chamber piece feels. Haigh went bigger for Lean on Pete, a tricky film which I’ll defend, but he’s back in London for his latest. All of Us Strangers, much like Weekend, focuses on two gay men in a flat, but nothing is what it seems. Haigh takes a step towards surreality with this magical realist fable, anchored by four great performances and haunting music cues. In writing this I realize Strangers is a synthesis of all his films, taking something from each trying to find catharsis. I’m not sure it’s entirely successful, but it’s not something to write off.
Adam (Andrew Scott) lives alone in a mostly empty apartment building on the outskirts of London. A struggling writer of some implied success, Adam spends his days staring at a blank page and listening to records. One evening, his neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal) comes to call, hoping to drink and perhaps a bit more. Though Adam turns him away at first, he can’t help but give into his advances as the lonely nights stretch. He’s not telling Harry everything though, as Adam steals away to visit his long dead parents, looking the same as they did when they tragically died, waiting each day for him to return.
Adam’s parents (Jamie Bell and Claire Foy), now younger than him, are thrilled to see their son and learn about his life. Adam gets the chance to speak with them as adults, coming out to his mother and explaining how the world has changed since the 1980s. Nothing sinister is happening – it’s not a Coraline situation – but the experience feels unnatural. There’s some rote dialogue about being gay, childhood trauma, the works, but the actors sell it all. Paul Mescal is phenomenally sexy, charming his way into Andrew Scott’s bed with his lithe little body. Scott is restrained and quiet, but his deep sadness breaks through when you least expect it. Bell and Foy are more reserved, but it’s fun to watch their brains break as they find out that gay people can now get married.
I still don’t know if I fully understand Haigh’s intent beyond his own catharsis, but the final needle drop is haunting. Filming in his actual childhood home? That’s some Fabelmans noise. Strangers in some ways feels like Haigh considering what would have happened if he had died at 38, alone in his flat, writing Weekend. It’s not a fun headspace to be in, but we can recognize it as something to work through. At least we get some gay sex out of it!
All of Us Strangers
2023
Dir. Andrew Haigh
105 min
Opens @ Coolidge Corner Theatre Friday, 1/5
