# All of Us Strangers

All of Us Strangers is a 2023 British romantic fantasy film written and directed by Andrew Haigh, and loosely based on the 1987 novel Strangers by Taichi Yamada. It stars Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell, and Claire Foy. The second feature adaptation of the novel, after the Japanese film The Discarnates (1988), the film follows a lonely screenwriter who develops an intimate relationship with his mysterious neighbour while revisiting memories from the past.
All of Us Strangers premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on 31 August 2023, and was released in the United Kingdom by Searchlight Pictures on 26 January 2024. It received critical acclaim, was named one of the top ten independent films of 2023 by the National Board of Review, and earned six BAFTA Award nominations. The film was also named Film of the Year and LGBTQ Film of the Year by GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (Dorian Awards).

## Plot

Lonely television screenwriter Adam lives a secluded life in London. At his tower block, he meets his drunk neighbour Harry, who has noticed him in the building and wants to join him for the night. Reluctantly, Adam declines and sends Harry away.
Adam takes up writing and decides to visit his suburban childhood home, now unoccupied. He encounters his parents, who both died in a car accident decades earlier just before he was twelve, and appear as they did at the age they died. Adam has dinner with them and promises to visit again.
Returning to his flat, Adam encounters Harry by the lift. He reciprocates Harry's interest from earlier and the two embark on a passionate relationship. Adam learns of Harry's own feelings of distance from his family, and the two slowly build a life together.
Adam has several subsequent meetings with his parents. During a talk with his mother, Adam reveals his sexual orientation and they discuss it. His mother accepts that Adam is gay, but reacts with concern and slight discomfort. On a later visit with his father, Adam discusses being hurt by his father's silence about the bullying Adam experienced as a child. The two tearfully reconcile and hug.
Later, as Adam and Harry's relationship flourishes, the two spend a lot of time clubbing and take ketamine together. One night Adam wakes up after a blackout and discovers he is back at his parents' home, this time at Christmas. They hang lights on the Christmas tree together and celebrate happily as music plays. Unable to sleep, Adam gets in bed with his parents and tells his mother about being sent to stay with his grandmother after her death, which his mother laments. Adam then drifts back to his life with Harry.
Adam seemingly awakes on an Underground train and sees Harry in the next car. Harry is distant and does not approach him. Adam sees a vision of his younger self screaming in the reflection of the train car. In actuality, Adam is in his bed, suddenly waking up crying. Harry has brought him home after a club incident where Adam had a panic attack. Adam discusses the details of his parents' death. He reveals his father died instantly in the car accident, while his mother lingered for several days in the hospital. His grandmother kept Adam from seeing his mother due to her dire condition, which has forever haunted Adam.
Adam takes Harry on a trip that night to meet his parents. Harry is sceptical and somewhat alarmed at Adam's behaviour. They find the house empty. Concerned about Adam's mental condition, Harry urges them to leave. Adam's mother is then seen beyond the window peering at them through the glass. Adam pounds on the door until the glass breaks.
Upon waking up the next morning with his parents, they explain that Harry went home. They tell Adam that in order for him to find happiness, he must let them go and move forward in his life with Harry. They take him to his favourite childhood restaurant, where they ask about the circumstances of their deaths. Adam tells them they both died instantly, which is a relief to his mother, although untrue. The three tearfully reaffirm their love for each other, after which both parents vanish.
Having accepted the loss of his parents, Adam goes home to see Harry. He enters Harry's flat and notices an awful stench, with drug residue on a table and squalor throughout the flat. Adam finds Harry dead in the bedroom, holding the same whiskey bottle he was drinking on the night they met. Harry has been dead all along, having been an apparition similar to his parents.
Outside the room, Harry's ghost is distraught and crying, as he did not want Adam to see him as a corpse. Adam assures Harry that everything will be all right, and takes Harry back to his flat. The two lie in bed together, tightly in each other's arms. When Harry asks Adam to play a record, he puts on "The Power of Love" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. The two fade into a small beam of light among stars in the night sky as the screen turns to black.

## Cast

* Andrew Scott as Adam
** Carter John Grout as young Adam
* Paul Mescal as Harry
* Jamie Bell as Adam's father
* Claire Foy as Adam's mother

## Production

Graham Broadbent and Sarah Harvey of Blueprint Pictures first pitched the project to Yamada in June 2017. Later that year, Haigh and Film4 Productions came on board. Haigh described his adaptation of the novel as "a long and sometimes painful process". He said, "I wanted to pick away at my own past as Adam does in the film. I was interested in exploring the complexities of both familial and romantic love, but also the distinct experience of a specific generation of gay people growing up in the 80s. I wanted to move away from the traditional ghost story of the novel and find something more psychological, almost metaphysical."
On 30 June 2022, the film, then known as Strangers, and the principal cast were announced. The announced plot was brief and vaguely worded, and attracted inquiries on social media as to whether the film involved a romance between Scott and Mescal's characters.
Filming was in progress in the United Kingdom when the announcement was made. Haigh's childhood home served as the filming location for the house in which Adam finds his parents. Nightclub sequences were shot on location at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern.

## Release

The film premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on 31 August 2023, and played at the 2023 New York Film Festival on 1 October 2023. It also made it to the main competition of the 68th Valladolid International Film Festival. Cork International Film Festival chose the film as its International Gala film, acting as the Irish premier, on 19 November 2023. The screening was held at the Everyman Theatre to a packed house. The QCinema International Film Festival hosted three screenings of the film on 19, 20, and 24 November 2023. It began a limited release in the United States on 22 December 2023 and was released in the United Kingdom on 26 January 2024.

## Reception
### Box office

In its limited opening weekend, the film made $232,909 from four theaters, a per-venue average of $58,000.

### Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 268 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "All of Us Strangers examines profound grief and love through a fantastical lens that is always grounded on human emotion." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 90 out of 100, based on 53 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.
Filmmaker Edgar Wright praised the film, saying "I am in awe of what Andrew [Haigh] managed to do in this film. It's a true testament to his artistry that he was able to make a film so personal, emotional and resonant, yet also so satisfying within its place in a genre. Though a traditional ghost story might end on a note of sadness or shock, the fact that Andrew is able to leave us with a moment of infinite beauty is to be cherished."
In December 2024, Collider ranked the film at number 4 on its list of the "10 Best Fantasy Movies of the 2020s," with Robert Lee III writing that it "has a lot of different moving parts that all seamlessly come together to make for an emotional rollercoaster of tear-jerker moments. From its exploration of the isolation and self-doubt that grief and pain place upon us to the inherent genius of a premise that allows Adam to come out to his parents after a lifetime of never believing he'd get the chance. It's a work of art that can be interpreted in a multitude of different ways, which is one of the greatest strengths that this type of mature fantasy drama can provide."

## Accolades

The film won 7 awards at the 2023 BIFA Awards, including Best Director and Best Screenplay.
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
| Chicago International Film Festival | 22 October 2023 | Gold Q-Hugo | All of Us Strangers | Nominated | |
| Valladolid International Film Festival | 28 October 2023 | Golden Spike | All of Us Strangers | Nominated | |
| Valladolid International Film Festival | 28 October 2023 | Rainbow Spike | All of Us Strangers | Won | |
| Montclair Film Festival | 29 October 2023 | Special Jury Award | Andrew Haigh | Won | |
| Camerimage | 18 November 2023 | Golden Frog | Jamie D. Ramsay | Nominated | |
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | 27 November 2023 | Best International Feature | All of Us Strangers | Nominated | |
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | 27 November 2023 | Best Screenplay | Andrew Haigh | Nominated | |
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | 27 November 2023 | Outstanding Lead Performance | Andrew Scott | Nominated | |
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | 27 November 2023 | Outstanding Supporting Performance | Claire Foy | Nominated | |
| British Independent Film Awards | 3 December 2023 | Best Cinematography | Jamie D. Ramsay | Won | [28] [29] |
| British Independent Film Awards | 3 December 2023 | Best Editing | Jonathan Alberts | Won | [28] [29] |
| British Independent Film Awards | 3 December 2023 | Best Music Supervision | Connie Farr | Won | [28] [29] |
| British Independent Film Awards | 3 December 2023 | Best Casting | Kahleen Crawford | Nominated | [28] [29] |
| British Independent Film Awards | 3 December 2023 | Best Make-Up & Hair Design | Zoe Clare Brown | Nominated | [28] [29] |
| British Independent Film Awards | 3 December 2023 | Best Production Design | Sarah Finlay | Nominated | [28] [29] |
| British Independent Film Awards | 3 December 2023 | Best Sound | Joakim Sundström, Per Bostrom, and Stevie Haywood | Nominated | [28] [29] |
| British Independent Film Awards | 3 December 2023 | Best British Independent Film | Andrew Haigh, Graham Broadbent, Peter Czernin, and Sarah Harvey | Won | [28] [29] |
| British Independent Film Awards | 3 December 2023 | Best Director | Andrew Haigh | Won | [28] [29] |
| British Independent Film Awards | 3 December 2023 | Best Lead Performance | Andrew Scott | Nominated | [28] [29] |
| British Independent Film Awards | 3 December 2023 | Best Supporting Performance | Jamie Bell | Nominated | [28] [29] |
| British Independent Film Awards | 3 December 2023 | Best Supporting Performance | Claire Foy | Nominated | [28] [29] |
| British Independent Film Awards | 3 December 2023 | Best Supporting Performance | Paul Mescal | Won | [28] [29] |
| British Independent Film Awards | 3 December 2023 | Best Screenplay | Andrew Haigh | Won | [28] [29] |
| National Board of Review | 6 December 2023 | Top 10 Independent Films | All of Us Strangers | Won | |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards | 10 December 2023 | Best Leading Performance | Andrew Scott | Runner-up | |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards | 10 December 2023 | Best Screenplay | Andrew Haigh | Won | |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards | 10 December 2023 | Best Editing | Jonathan Alberts | Runner-up | |
| IndieWire Critics Poll | 11 December 2023 | Best Performance | Andrew Scott | 8th Place | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | 12 December 2023 | Best Actor | Andrew Scott | Nominated | |
| Toronto Film Critics Association | 17 December 2023 | Best Picture | All of Us Strangers | Runner-up | |
| Toronto Film Critics Association | 17 December 2023 | Outstanding Lead Performance | Andrew Scott | Runner-up | |
| Toronto Film Critics Association | 17 December 2023 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Andrew Haigh | Runner-up | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | 21 December 2023 | Best Actor | Andrew Scott | Nominated | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | 3 January 2024 | Best Actor | Andrew Scott | Nominated | |
| Greater Western New York Film Critics Association | 6 January 2024 | Best Picture | All of Us Strangers | Nominated | |
| Greater Western New York Film Critics Association | 6 January 2024 | Best Lead Actor | Andrew Scott | Nominated |
| Greater Western New York Film Critics Association | 6 January 2024 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Andrew Haigh | Nominated |
| National Society of Film Critics Awards | 6 January 2024 | Best Actor | Andrew Scott | Won | |
| Golden Globe Awards | 7 January 2024 | Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama | Andrew Scott | Nominated | |
| Seattle Film Critics Society Awards | 8 January 2024 | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Andrew Scott | Nominated | |
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards | 9 January 2024 | Best Actor | Andrew Scott | Nominated | |
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards | 9 January 2024 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Andrew Haigh | Nominated | |
| Denver Film Critics Society | 12 January 2024 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Andrew Haigh | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | 14 January 2024 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Andrew Haigh | Nominated | |
| Houston Film Critics Society | 22 January 2024 | Best Actor | Andrew Scott | Nominated | [44] [45] |
| Kansas City Film Critics Circle | 27 January 2024 | Tom Poe Award for the Best LBGTQ Film | All of Us Strangers | Won | |
| London Film Critics' Circle | 4 February 2024 | Film of the Year | All of Us Strangers | Nominated | |
| London Film Critics' Circle | 4 February 2024 | Actor of the Year | Andrew Scott | Won | |
| London Film Critics' Circle | 4 February 2024 | Supporting Actor of the Year | Paul Mescal | Nominated | |
| London Film Critics' Circle | 4 February 2024 | Supporting Actress of the Year | Claire Foy | Nominated | |
| London Film Critics' Circle | 4 February 2024 | Screenwriter of the Year | Andrew Haigh | Nominated | |
| London Film Critics' Circle | 4 February 2024 | British/Irish Film of the Year | All of Us Strangers | Won | |
| London Film Critics' Circle | 4 February 2024 | British/Irish Performer of the Year | Andrew Scott | Nominated | |
| London Film Critics' Circle | 4 February 2024 | British/Irish Performer of the Year | Paul Mescal (also for God’s Creatures, Foe, and Carmen) | Won | |
| London Film Critics' Circle | 4 February 2024 | Technical Achievement Award | Kahleen Crawford | Nominated | |
| AACTA International Awards | 10 February 2024 | Best Lead Actor in Film | Andrew Scott | Nominated | |
| British Academy Film Awards | 18 February 2024 | Outstanding British Film | Andrew Haigh, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Sarah Harvey | Nominated | |
| British Academy Film Awards | 18 February 2024 | Best Director | Andrew Haigh | Nominated | |
| British Academy Film Awards | 18 February 2024 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Andrew Haigh | Nominated | |
| British Academy Film Awards | 18 February 2024 | Best Supporting Actress | Claire Foy | Nominated | |
| British Academy Film Awards | 18 February 2024 | Best Supporting Actor | Paul Mescal | Nominated | |
| British Academy Film Awards | 18 February 2024 | Best Casting | Kahleen Crawford | Nominated | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | 25 February 2024 | Best Film | Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Sarah Harvey | Nominated | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | 25 February 2024 | Best Director | Andrew Haigh | Nominated | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | 25 February 2024 | Best Lead Performance | Andrew Scott | Nominated | |
| Dorian Awards | 26 February 2024 | Film of the Year | Film of the Year | Won | |
| Dorian Awards | 26 February 2024 | LGBTQ Film of the Year | LGBTQ Film of the Year | Won | |
| Dorian Awards | 26 February 2024 | Director of the Year | Andrew Haigh | Nominated | |
| Dorian Awards | 26 February 2024 | Screenplay of the Year | Andrew Haigh | Nominated | |
| Dorian Awards | 26 February 2024 | LGBTQ Screenplay of the Year | Andrew Haigh | Won | |
| Dorian Awards | 26 February 2024 | Film Performance of the Year | Andrew Scott | Nominated | |
| Dorian Awards | 26 February 2024 | Supporting Film Performance of the Year | Paul Mescal | Nominated | |
| Dorian Awards | 26 February 2024 | Genre Film of the Year "For excellence in science fiction, fantasy and horror" | Genre Film of the Year "For excellence in science fiction, fantasy and horror" | Nominated | |
| Dorian Awards | 26 February 2024 | GALECA LGBTQIA+ Film Trailblazer Award "For creating art that inspires empathy, truth and equity" | Andrew Haigh | Nominated | |
| Dorian Awards | 26 February 2024 | GALECA LGBTQIA+ Film Trailblazer Award "For creating art that inspires empathy, truth and equity" | Andrew Scott | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | 3 March 2024 | Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama | Andrew Scott | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | 3 March 2024 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Andrew Haigh and Taichi Yamada | Nominated | |
| GLAAD Media Awards | 14 March 2024 | Outstanding Film – Wide Release | All of Us Strangers | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | 4 April 2024 | Best Actor in a Horror Movie | Andrew Scott | Nominated | |