Prepare to have both The Pet Shop Boys’ ‘Always on my Mind’ and Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s ‘The Power of Love’ forever changed for you. Director Andrew Haigh uses both songs to wield utter emotional devastation in his latest film, All of Us Strangers.
The film stars Andrew Scott as Adam. a writer struggling with his current project for which he has to tap into his past. Living alone in a fancy, near-empty tower block, Adam spends his days communicating with the ghosts of his parents (played by Claire Foy and Jamie Bell). Whilst juggling his feelings and new script, Adam encounters Harry (Paul Mescal), the only other resident in the building. The pair begin a fledgling romance, but is Harry enough to pull Adam’s head out of his world of ghosts?
All of Us Strangers has a streamlined narrative so that maximum time can be spent falling in love with the quartet of characters. Scott, Mescal, Foy and Bell are all exceptional. Each of them is playing at the top tier of their abilities and to watch them interact onscreen is pure movie magic. As director, Haigh sits back and lets the cast do their thing, allowing pauses for silence when needed. The quiet moments allow the emotional content to marinate, and without necessarily realising, the viewer is 1000% invested in Adam’s story. This insidious investment leads to an outpouring of tears from early doors until the bittersweet ending.
Haigh’s latest film is all about emotion and atmosphere and the director orchestrates the perfect environment for his characters to play. The themes explored – grief, love and loss – are universal, but All of Us Strangers manages to articulate them with a raw tenderness that has not been felt before. The scenes between Adam and his parents are electric and the powerful inclusion of ‘Always on my Mind’ during one scene breaks the levee on the tears.
Contrasting the heart-aching scenes with his parents, in Harry, Adam finds a chance at happiness. The chemistry between Scott and Mescal is hypnotic, the pair playing effortlessly against each other. They give viewers a wonderfully sweet, and slightly awkward, dynamic that serves to make Harry and Adam feel more real. Watching their journey unfold, and seeing Adam torn between retreating into his fuzzy memories, and leaving that comfort to begin in search of a new source, is fascinating to watch. Haigh further deftly tugs on the heartstrings, and by the time ‘The Power of Love’ begins to chime, there is a puddle of devastation where the audience once sat.
All of Us Strangers is an all-consuming drama played out by some of the UK and Ireland’s finest actors. Heart-wrenching and harbouring several gut punches of emotions, All of Us Strangers is a magnificent and majestic analysis of grief, love, and regret that expertly shatters your heart into tiny shards.
All of Us Strangers
Summary
Andrew Haigh thrusts the audience into an emotional gauntlet that even the most hardened heart will not weather.
All of Us Strangers is out in UK cinemas now.
