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Recent releases:
- That They May Face the Rising Sun
- Jericho Ridge
- Civil War
- Mothers' Instinct
- Sweet East, The
- Ghost Busters: Frozen Empire
- Immaculate
- Roaring Twenties, The (reissue)
- Soul
- Dune: part two
- American Star
- Dune: Part 1 (reissue)
- Jerry & Marge Go Large
- Argylle
- Forever Young
- Jackdaw
- All of Us Strangers
- Holdovers, The
- Mean Girls
- Poor Things
All of Us Strangers
Stars: Andrew Scott, Claire Foy, Jamie Bell, Paul Mescal
Director: Andrew Haigh
Quite slow, especially at the beginning, this is an actors' showcase about stress, fantasy and reality, with subtle, poignant performances, especially from Scott, Foy and Bell.
Scott is Adam, a gay man in his early forties, living alone in a seemingly half-empty block of flats. He begins a new relationship, with fellow resident Harry (Mescal) - rather too many love scenes here for the film's comfort - at the same time making journeys to his old house, to hold conversations with his parents (Foy, Bell), who died 30 years ago in a car crash. He imagines how they might react at the news that he was gay...
That's really it - the plot doesn't actually progress at all, but remains rooted, you may think, in Adam's head as his mind spirals out of control. And the film demands your constant patience: is the ending tragic, or does the entire scenario only exist in Adam's fevered brain?
Although I appreciated the film's merits. and its consummate performances - Scott will deservedly be nominated for awards - I didn't really enjoy it that much. Those who like feelgood films should look elsewhere.
David Quinlan
UK 2023. UK Distributor: Disney (Searchlight). Colour by Company 3.
102 minutes. Not widescreen. UK certificate: 15.
Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 2, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 1, Swearing 2.
Review date: 05 Mar 2024