All of Us Strangers (2023)

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  Barneyonmovies

  8 / 10

  WHAT I LIKED: Andrew Haigh's 'All Of Us Strangers,' is a profound character drama about the far-reaching effects of childhood.
  
  Its story follows a young screenwriter called Adam (Andrew Scott) who lives on his own in an almost empty new-build apartment building, and whilst he's alone with his thoughts, he starts writing about his upbringing and his late parents who he says were killed in a car crash. Soon we see him return to his childhood home, and over the course of a few visits, his parents react to the man he's grown into; from his physical appearance and his successes as a writer and homeowner, to being gay.
  
  At first it's not fully clear whether these are just in his imagination or not, but either way, what's so heartbreaking is that they still don't accept him. You quickly realise he's projecting, and what he imagines is that they're impressed by his muscularity and his financial achievements, but are shocked that those successes came from a creative pursuit, and that they're even more concerned and perturbed when he reveals he's gay.
  
  The effect that has on him - and eventually his promising new relationship with neighbour Harry (Paul Mescal) - is huge, and together that not only makes for a moving character study, but also a profound musing on the far-reaching effects of childhood. That's only made all the more transcendent thanks to Scott's magnetic performance which allows us heart-wrenching glimpses at his emotional turmoil beneath his happy-go-lucky exterior.
  
  WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: The story ends abruptly without Adam working through any of his struggles, and though that is perfectly plausible, it doesn't make for the most resonant ending.
  
  VERDICT: Andrew Haigh's 'All Of Us Strangers,' is a brilliantly-executed and thought-provoking character study.

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