All of Us Strangers follows Adam (Andrew Scott), a lonely screenwriter who becomes involved with another man in his building, Harry (Paul Mescal). While their relationship grows, Adam has visions of his deceased parents as he works to resolve the trauma surrounding his sexuality and their deaths.
All of Us Strangers is an incredibly gut-wrenching movie. In a year when Past Lives and The Iron Claw broke my heart, this movie grabbed the knife that was already in my chest and twisted it. All Of Us Strangers is truly carried by the incredible performances of not just Scott and Mescal, but also Jamie Bell, who plays Adam’s father. The way all three of them come together to depict Adam’s mental state and emotional trauma is masterful.
What makes this story so devastating is how raw it gets. Adam lost his parents in a car accident when he was young. As an adult, he lives a very lonely life, only having one person in his building, Harry. He has no friends left near him as he says they all moved away.
The scenes between Adam and his parents are devastating. Anyone who has lost a relative wishes they could have the opportunity to have one more conversation with them. Especially as a gay man, Adam never had the chance to tell his parents who he was. What was extremely difficult was his mother’s reaction. It is beyond heartbreaking to watch Adam see his mother’s initial disapproval of his sexuality after he finally got the chance to have the conversation.
The following conversation with his father is no easier. Even as he is more accepting of Adam, having the idea earlier on in his life, he still wishes he had done more to let Adam know he loved him regardless. He talks about how he regrets hearing Adam cry after school from being bullied and breaks down saying he should’ve checked in on him. I legit teared up here and at the scene where Adam has to move on to strengthen his relationship with Harry.
His relationship with Harry is equally heartbreaking. Harry is similar to Adam in that he is also a loner in the building. After meeting by chance, they begin to date. They explore each other’s pasts and connect emotionally and spiritually. It is until he accepts his past and his parents’ deaths that he learns the harsh true reality of Harry. He uses what he has learned in such a beautiful way for Harry, but my heart has already been broken into a million pieces by this point.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It is incredibly hard to talk about All Of Us Strangers without spoiling it, so I’ll just say this is a must-watch. It is beautiful, it is emotional, and it is heartbreaking. Adam Scott and Paul Mescal deliver incredibly powerful performances here. Claire Foy and Jamie Bell pack so much into their limited screen time and this is another 2023 release that will sit in your stomach like a rock well after you’re done watching.
