Cook review: ‘All of Us Strangers’ is a touching ode to grief and loss
By Matthew Martinez
It will shatter your heart … and possibly, by the finale, reassemble it.
To tell you very much about Andrew Haigh’s “All of Us Strangers” wouldn’t be fair. So I’ll share a little about its characters and its themes instead of plunging deeply into the plot of a movie which, like so many other excellent films from 2023, defies categorization.
This film, an ode to loss and grief, is an adaptation of the Taichi Yamada novel “Strangers.”
‘All of Us Strangers’ (IMDb)
Andrew Scott (“1917”) is wonderful as Adam, a writer who lives in a skyscraper in London. Few other people live in the structure so it’s a solitary existence within a solitary existence for Adam.
But he does meet a neighbor when Harry (Paul Mescal, “Aftersun”) wanders into Adam’s life. They become intrigued with each other, and eventually become a couple.
Adam doesn’t spend much time in his apartment though. He continuously visits his childhood home, where he confronts painful memories that haunt him and seem to keep him paralyzed in many ways – in some respects, Adam is still a child.
Adam’s love for Harry grows while he continues to sort out what continues to hurt him from his earlier years.
The movie contains elements of romance, drama and fantasy that are sometimes humorous, sometimes perplexing, and always emotional.
It may contain fantasy elements, but its truths about grief and loss couldn’t make more of an impact if they were portrayed in a documentary. There is a twist toward the end that left me in tears.
I advise you to approach this with an open mind and a packet of tissues, and let Haigh’s latest film touch your heart.
4 stars
Running time: One hour and 45 minutes.
Rated: R for foul language, sexual situations, and other adult themes.
At Cinemark, Davenport, and on various streaming platforms.
Watch the trailer here.
