“It’s a thing of beauty, heartfelt and unforgettable.”
This year’s All Of Us Strangers could be the new Aftersun; a powerful, knock-you-for-six, emotional drama that picks up so much momentum from its festival screenings that it ends up becoming an Oscar frontrunner.
The movie had a surprise screening at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado last night (31 August), and the film world was instantly abuzz with overwhelming positivity for the movie, especially for lead actor Andrew Scott and the movie’s writer/director Andrew Haigh.
If you don’t know Haigh’s previous works, they are absolutely worth checking out; Weekend is available to rent on Google Play and Rakuten TV, while 45 Years is available to stream on Netflix. But be warned, they’ll both leave an emotional wreck, and will likely get you in the mindset for what to expect from his new movie.
All Of Us Strangers’ official synopsis is as follows: “It tells the story of a screenwriter (Andrew Scott) who, after an encounter with his neighbour (Paul Mescal), is pulled back to his childhood home where he discovers that his long-dead parents (Jamie Bell & Claire Foy) are living and look the same age as the day they died, when the writer was just 11 years old.”
Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal are going to break our hearts in All Of Us Strangers
Following the surprise screening at the Telluride Film Festival, the immediate response from critics was staggering:
The Guardian – “The film is an enormously satisfying and affecting experience. 5 stars.”
IndieWire – “The film’s hushed modesty allows Haigh to create an ethereal atmosphere so cold and sterile that Adam and Harry might as well be the last two men on Earth; the fire between them is kindled with such care that it seems like the entire world might go dark if it went out. That heightened focus draws our eye to every muscle of Scott’s crushingly gentle smile, as we search for a lifetime of unspoken feeling in each little twitch of his lips.”
Deadline – “All of Us Strangers asks a lot of questions, but the answers are not supplied easily. It is a challenging work as much of Haigh’s character-driven filmography including Weekend and 45 Years often is, but one that offers rich rewards if you sign on to it at all. It isn’t a mass-audience picture but one that adventurous audiences will accept with open arms.”
The Hollywood Reporter – “While it unfolds in a hazy dream state rooted in Adam’s loneliness and the emotional suspension that has blocked him from moving forward, it’s by no means a downer. It’s a thing of beauty, heartfelt and unforgettable.”
Variety – “The entire journey is not based in logic so much as a kind of emotional intuition, and as such, no two viewers will experience it the same way. What strikes some as manipulative will crack open others, as the film offers a kind of connection that’s all too rare, and maybe even impossible.”
All Of Us Strangers does not yet have a confirmed Ireland and UK release date, but it is scheduled to screen as part of the London Film Festival on 8 October this year. The US release date in 22 December, so we’d venture a guess that it will get a big screen release here in early January.
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