“All of Us Strangers”, Andrew Haigh's new film, is one of the best to hit UK screens in the last year.

“All of Us Strangers”, Andrew Haigh's new film, is one of the best to hit UK screens in the last year. A moving tale of love and self-acceptance, it follows writer Adam (Andrew Scott) as he navigates two peculiar situations in his life: the budding romance with his neighbour Harry (Paul Mescal) and the rapprochement with his parents (Jamie Bell and Claire Foy). The catch: His parents have been dead for 30 years – and this mysterious reunion with the past changes his perspective of the present. 

The production marks two returns for Haigh: it brings the director back to the big screen after six years of television work and resumes his concern with modern-day queer relationships – a topic he hadn't explored since the end of his TV series “Looking”, in 2016. 

Written by Haigh, the script ignores the supernatural aspect of Taichi Yamada's novel on which it is based and makes the protagonist gay. The result transforms a ghost story into a meditation on the generational chasms between people who love each other and how the gay experience has changed in the last 40 years. 

Part of the reason the film works so well comes from its specific sense of time and place: references to the AIDS epidemic and the band Frankie Goes to Hollywood (their hit “The Power of Love” is a key piece here) paint “All of Us Strangers” as an attempt by the generation of gays who grew up in 80s England (like the director) to understand their relationship with love – whether romantic or familial.

For queer audiences, the tender and skilful way with which the plot ties together its many strands can elevate “All of Us Strangers” to instant classic status. That said, the film also easily speaks to fans of romances and family dramas, regardless of sexuality.