Writer/Director: Andrew Haigh
Starring: Andrew Scott, Claire Foy, Jamie Bell
‘Mesmerizing Masterpiece’
Gay people are rarely depicted with respect in movies today. Hollywood has often ignored homosexual men that climb back-breaking mountains. Out of shame, filmmakers avoid telling stories about gay lovers calling each other by their name. Despite homosexuality rising in the U.S., movies scarcely shine moonlight on queer people’s plight. On a personal level, I saw a gay cousin’s struggle. In childhood, I met a gay cousin that was misunderstood in a Pakistani neighborhood. As charismatic as Freddie Mercury, he was somebody to love praised by family. A wallflower teenager, he enjoyed activities for the opposite gender. Fond of women’s attire, he was a person my family would admire. It didn’t take long before I bonded with my cousin. I spent every Summer in Canada with a cousin that shaped my persona. I spent every weekend with a cousin that became a friend. Unaware that he was queer, I bonded with a cousin about whom I came to deeply care. However, sexuality ended bonds forever. Due to sexuality, I grew distant from a cousin I used to value. In a matter of months, he went from being a beloved family member to a stranger. Not the cousin I came to adore, he became a stranger I didn’t know anymore. Ousted by his father, his life changed forever. In a joyless land where queer people were banned, he couldn’t take a stand. It wasn’t until the day he moved to Canada that my cousin embraced being gay. Years later, I leant being queer is a burden to bear.
Few films I’ve seen have captured barriers experienced by LGBTQ communities treated as strangers as powerfully as “All of Us Strangers”. Intimate, heartbreaking and sweeping, it captures adversities experienced by LGBTQ communities. Andrew Haigh pays tribute towards gay communities today. Boasting exquisite production-design, thoughtful storytelling and phenomenal performances, it’s a mesmerizing masterpiece. Viewers aren’t required to identify with the LGBTQ community to appreciate it. Ultimately, its universal message has abilities to resonate with everyone impacted by lifelong relations with parents from an early age.
Based on the novel “Strangers”, “All of Us Strangers” chronicles the life of a queer man facing barriers. Andrew Scott embodies Adam, a middle-aged gay man mourning parents’ deaths in 1980’s Britain. To overcome grief, Adam bonds with gay neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal) providing comforting relief. However, Adam’s life changes when he begins envisioning ghosts of parents that died in car crashes years ago. Feeling like a stranger in family, Adam struggles disclosing homosexuality.
Andrew Haigh gravitates towards communities that are gay. A British gay filmmaker, Haigh has often told stories of LGBTQ communities today. His debut “Weekend” examined short-lived romance between gay lovers over a weekend. With “All of Us Strangers”, however, Haigh crafts a period piece. It’s the filmmaker’s attempt dramatizing LGBTQ communities in the 1980’s, but he succeeds. Through spellbinding cinematography, Haigh captures a queer man’s journey. Evoking Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain”, Haigh uses montages to capture bonds between gay lovers. It sparked joyous memories of bonds with a cousin I wasn’t aware kept homosexuality shrouded in secrecy. Montages are complicated. Richard Curtis’ “About Time” suggested, montages elevate time-travel movies. As Spike Jonze’s “Her” demonstrated, montages elevate science-fiction. Nevertheless, it succeeds. Alongside cinematographer Jamie D. Ramsay, Haigh commemorates LGBTQ communities. Haigh captures back-breaking barriers of queer men, manufacturing theatrical viewing.
If stories of queer lovers don’t attract you towards theaters, however, there’s reasons to see “All of Us Strangers”. Accompanied by production-designer Sarah Finlay, Haigh uses symbolism capturing negative impact of homosexuality on parent-child relationships. Throughout the film, Adam’s childhood home symbolizes his sexuality. For instance, symbolism elevates the father conversation scene. During this heartbreaking scene, Adam pulls off intimidating tasks of disclosing sexuality to a father that showcases rare understanding. One appreciates set-design of the house in styles recalling Luca Guadagnino’s “Call Me By Your Name”. Like Elio’s heartbreaking conversation with his father about Oliver, Adam’s dad embraces his sexual orientation. It reminded me of my cousin’s desire to be accepted by his father after revealing sexuality in countries where homosexuality was unaccepted. Moreover, the music is magnificent. Evoking Jonathan Demme’s “Philadelphia”, it captures an era of homophobia. Through phenomenal production-design, Haigh honors queer communities.
Another extraordinary aspect of “All of Us Strangers” is storytelling. Haigh’s screenwriting strength is demonstrating struggles of homosexual men seeking acceptance by silence. In Hollywood, most movies rarely address negative impact of stress on queer people’s success. As a case in point: Bryan Singer’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” depicted Freddie Mercury as an invincible musician overcoming barriers of homosexuality by composing melodies. Fortunately, however, “All of Us Strangers” avoids pitfalls. Inspired by Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight”, Haigh expertly uses sequences of silence to capture the LGBTQ community’s plight. Like Chiron’s silent withdrawal from his family due to his sexual identity, Adam drifts apart from his family. Silences elevate the scene where Adam says heartbreaking goodbyes to parents that realize his sexuality to be a shocking surprise. It reminded me of broken relationships growing distant from a cousin I appreciated after discovering his sexual identity. Minimal dialogue is tricky. Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun” suggested scenes of silence elevate dramas about father-daughter relations. As Saim Sadiq’s “Joyland” demonstrated, silence elevates Pakistani transgender dramas. Nevertheless, it succeeds. Through a spectacular screenplay, Haigh commemorates gay communities today.
One admires astonishing performances.
Andrew Scott delivers a career-defining performance as Adam. Scott achieved fame playing a villain seeking to shock on BBC’s series “Sherlock”. Drawing from personal experience, Scott embodies a queer man seeking social acceptance. It’s challenging embodying a gay man during the 1980’s, but Scott succeeds. Evoking Hugh Grant in James Ivory’s “Maurice”, Scott embodies a queer man struggling pursuing homosexual relationships in a world without peace. With mesmerizing expressions, he captures angst, loneliness and resentments of a queer man. It’s a phenomenal performance.
The supporting cast is sensational, building familial bonds. Paul Mescal is phenomenal, demonstrating acknowledgements of a queer man that can’t help but fall in love in a relationship doomed to face downfall. Claire Foy is captivating, showing despair of a mother unable to care for a son that’s queer. Last, Jamie Bell merits acknowledgements. As Adam’s dad, he’s heartbreaking.
Finally, “All of Us Strangers” earns appreciation of viewers for celebrating gay wallflower teenagers. Evoking Stephen Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”, the film captures barriers of queer teenagers. It tackles universal themes including family, identity and trauma. Viewers aren’t required to identify with LGBTQ communities to appreciate it. Anyone sharing strong bonds with parents at an early age will identify with the film’s message. Therefore, “All of Us Strangers” pleases all viewers.
Fans of LGBTQ Cinema will definitely acknowledge “All of Us Strangers” and so will movie-goers giving acknowledgements to sexuality. A powerful drama, it proves stories of queer men battling homophobia in Philadelphia are worth telling in Cinema. A soul-stirring tribute to queer men whose disclosure of sexuality to family incites institutionalization despair, it could make people aware of a burden that gay communities rarely getting acknowledgements bear.
A magnificent depiction of plight faced by LGBTQ communities beneath moonlight, it’s a marvelous reminder of gay men hiding sexuality in plain sight so that their parents are able to sleep soundly at night.
Like doomed affairs between queer lovers that call each other by their name, it’s a sad reminder of the struggles faced by gay men keeping sexuality shrouded in secrecy to avoid causing their family shame.
If movies can celebrate gay communities breaking backs climbing big mountains today, hopefully it leads people to honor joyous memory of queer people whose sexuality came with a painful price to pay.
As powerful as Adam’s memories of parents which died, it has inspired me to honor a cousin which took pride in sexuality becoming a guide in whom I could confide in countries where queer communities denied equal rights were pushed aside.
5/5 stars
The Film Buff 
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