All of Us Strangers

All of Us Strangers is a 2023 British romantic fantasy film written and directed by Andrew Haigh, and based on the 1987 novel Strangers by Taichi Yamada. Starring Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal, it follows Adam (Scott), a screenwriter preoccupied with memories of the past as he develops a relationship with mysterious neighbor Harry (Mescal). It is the second feature adaptation of the novel, after the Japanese film The Discarnates (1988).
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.
== 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 begins writing and decides to visit his childhood home, now unoccupied. He sees a vision of his parents, who both died in a car accident decades earlier when he was twelve. 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 begin a passionate relationship. Adam learns of Harry's own feelings of distance from his family, and the two slowly begin to build a life together.
Adam has several subsequent visions 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 bitterness. 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 begin to do 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 awakes on the tube 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. Adam awakes in his bed, 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 offers to take Harry on a trip 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 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, also a vision of Adam's imagination 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 the stars as the screen turns to black.
== Cast ==
* Andrew Scott as Adam
* Paul Mescal as Harry
* Jamie Bell as Adam's father
* Claire Foy as Adam's mother
* Carter John Grout as Young Adam
* Ami Tredrea as Waitress
== 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===
 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."
===Accolades===
The film won seven awards at the 2023 British Independent Film Awards, including Best Director and Best Screenplay.
Award 	Date of ceremony	Category 	Recipient(s) 	Result	
Chicago International Film Festival 	22 October 2023 	Gold Q-Hugo 	All of Us Strangers 	 	
Valladolid International Film Festival 	28 October 2023 	Golden Spike 	All of Us Strangers 	 	
Valladolid International Film Festival 	28 October 2023 	Rainbow Spike 	All of Us Strangers 	 	
Montclair Film Festival 	29 October 2023 	Special Jury Award 	Andrew Haigh 	 	
Camerimage 	18 November 2023	Golden Frog 	Jamie D. Ramsay 	 	
Gotham Independent Film Awards 	27 November 2023	Best International Feature 	All of Us Strangers 	 	
Gotham Independent Film Awards 	27 November 2023	Best Screenplay 	Andrew Haigh 	 	
Gotham Independent Film Awards 	27 November 2023	Outstanding Lead Performance 	Andrew Scott 	 	
Gotham Independent Film Awards 	27 November 2023	Outstanding Supporting Performance 	Claire Foy 	 	
British Independent Film Awards 	3 December 2023 	Best Cinematography 	Jamie D. Ramsay 	 	
British Independent Film Awards 	3 December 2023 	Best Editing 	Jonathan Alberts 	 	
British Independent Film Awards 	3 December 2023 	Best Music Supervision 	Connie Farr 	 	
British Independent Film Awards 	3 December 2023 	Best Casting 	Kahleen Crawford 	 	
British Independent Film Awards 	3 December 2023 	Best Make-Up & Hair Design 	Zoe Clare Brown 	 	
British Independent Film Awards 	3 December 2023 	Best Production Design 	Sarah Finlay 	 	
British Independent Film Awards 	3 December 2023 	Best Sound 	Joakim Sundström, Per Bostrom, and Stevie Haywood 	 	
British Independent Film Awards 	3 December 2023 	Best British Independent Film 	Andrew Haigh, Graham Broadbent, Peter Czernin, and Sarah Harvey 	 	
British Independent Film Awards 	3 December 2023 	Best Director 	Andrew Haigh 	 	
British Independent Film Awards 	3 December 2023 	Best Lead Performance 	Andrew Scott 	 	
British Independent Film Awards 	3 December 2023 	Best Supporting Performance 	Jamie Bell 	 	
British Independent Film Awards 	3 December 2023 	Best Supporting Performance 	Claire Foy 	 	
British Independent Film Awards 	3 December 2023 	Best Supporting Performance 	Paul Mescal 	 	
British Independent Film Awards 	3 December 2023 	Best Screenplay 	Andrew Haigh 	 	
National Board of Review 	6 December 2023 	Top 10 Independent Films 	All of Us Strangers 	 	
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 	10 December 2023	Best Leading Performance 	Andrew Scott 	 	
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 	10 December 2023	Best Screenplay 	Andrew Haigh 	 	
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 	10 December 2023	Best Editing 	Jonathan Alberts 	 	
IndieWire Critics Poll 	11 December 2023	Best Performance 	Andrew Scott 	 	
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 	12 December 2023	Best Actor 	Andrew Scott 	 	
Toronto Film Critics Association 	17 December 2023	Best Picture 	All of Us Strangers 	 	
Toronto Film Critics Association 	17 December 2023	Outstanding Lead Performance 	Andrew Scott 	 	
Toronto Film Critics Association 	17 December 2023	Best Adapted Screenplay 	Andrew Haigh 	 	
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards 	21 December 2023	Best Actor 	Andrew Scott 	 	
Alliance of Women Film Journalists 	3 January 2024 	Best Actor 	Andrew Scott 	 	
Golden Globe Awards 	7 January 2024 	Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama 	Andrew Scott 	 	
Seattle Film Critics Society Awards 	8 January 2024 	Best Actor in a Leading Role 	Andrew Scott 	 	
San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards	9 January 2024 	Best Actor 	Andrew Scott 	 	
San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards	9 January 2024 	Best Adapted Screenplay 	Andrew Haigh 	 	
Denver Film Critics Society 	12 January 2024 	Best Adapted Screenplay 	Andrew Haigh 	 	
Critics' Choice Movie Awards 	14 January 2024 	Best Adapted Screenplay 	Andrew Haigh 	 	
Houston Film Critics Society 	22 January 2024 	Best Actor 	Andrew Scott 	 	
Kansas City Film Critics Circle 	27 January 2024 	Tom Poe Award for the Best LBGTQ Film 	All of Us Strangers 	 	
London Film Critics' Circle 	4 February 2024 	Film of the Year 	All of Us Strangers 	 	
London Film Critics' Circle 	4 February 2024 	Actor of the Year 	Andrew Scott 	 	
London Film Critics' Circle 	4 February 2024 	Supporting Actor of the Year 	Paul Mescal 	 	
London Film Critics' Circle 	4 February 2024 	Supporting Actress of the Year 	Claire Foy 	 	
London Film Critics' Circle 	4 February 2024 	Screenwriter of the Year 	Andrew Haigh 	 	
London Film Critics' Circle 	4 February 2024 	British/Irish Film of the Year 	All of Us Strangers 	 	
London Film Critics' Circle 	4 February 2024 	British/Irish Performer of the Year 	Andrew Scott 	 	
London Film Critics' Circle 	4 February 2024 	British/Irish Performer of the Year 	Paul Mescal (also for God’s Creatures, Foe, and Carmen) 	 	
London Film Critics' Circle 	4 February 2024 	Technical Achievement Award 	Kahleen Crawford 	 	
AACTA International Awards 	10 February 2024	Best Lead Actor in Film 	Andrew Scott 	 	
British Academy Film Awards 	18 February 2024	Outstanding British Film 	Andrew Haigh, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Sarah Harvey 	 	
British Academy Film Awards 	18 February 2024	Best Director 	Andrew Haigh 	 	
British Academy Film Awards 	18 February 2024	Best Adapted Screenplay 	Andrew Haigh 	 	
British Academy Film Awards 	18 February 2024	Best Supporting Actress 	Claire Foy 	 	
British Academy Film Awards 	18 February 2024	Best Supporting Actor 	Paul Mescal 	 	
British Academy Film Awards 	18 February 2024	Best Casting 	Kahleen Crawford 	 	
Independent Spirit Awards 	25 February 2024	Best Film 	Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Sarah Harvey 	 	
Independent Spirit Awards 	25 February 2024	Best Director 	Andrew Haigh 	 	
Independent Spirit Awards 	25 February 2024	Best Lead Performance 	Andrew Scott 	 	
Dorian Awards 	26 February 2024	Film of the Year 	Film of the Year 	 	
Dorian Awards 	26 February 2024	LGBTQ Film of the Year 	LGBTQ Film of the Year 	 	
Dorian Awards 	26 February 2024	Director of the Year 	Andrew Haigh 	 	
Dorian Awards 	26 February 2024	Screenplay of the Year 	Andrew Haigh 	 	
Dorian Awards 	26 February 2024	LGBTQ Screenplay of the Year 	Andrew Haigh 	 	
Dorian Awards 	26 February 2024	Film Performance of the Year 	Andrew Scott 	 	
Dorian Awards 	26 February 2024	Supporting Film Performance of the Year 	Paul Mescal 	 	
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"	 	
Dorian Awards 	26 February 2024	GALECA LGBTQIA+ Film Trailblazer Award"For creating art that inspires empathy, truth and equity"	Andrew Haigh 	 	
Dorian Awards 	26 February 2024	GALECA LGBTQIA+ Film Trailblazer Award"For creating art that inspires empathy, truth and equity"	Andrew Scott 	 	
Satellite Awards 	3 March 2024 	Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama 	Andrew Scott 	 	
Satellite Awards 	3 March 2024 	Best Screenplay, Adapted 	Andrew Haigh and Taichi Yamada 	 	
GLAAD Media Awards 	14 March 2024 	Outstanding Film – Wide Release 	All of Us Strangers 	 	
Critics' Choice Super Awards 	4 April 2024 	Best Actor in a Horror Movie 	Andrew Scott 	 	
== External links ==
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== References ==
Category:2023 films
Category:2023 fantasy films
Category:2023 independent films
Category:2023 LGBT-related films
Category:2023 romance films
Category:2020s British films
Category:2020s English-language films
Category:2020s romantic fantasy films
Category:British LGBT-related films
Category:Films about writers
Category:British romantic fantasy films
Category:Gay-related films
Category:Fiction with unreliable narrators
Category:Film4 Productions films
Category:Films based on Japanese novels
Category:Films directed by Andrew Haigh
Category:Films set in London
Category:Films shot in London
Category:LGBT-related fantasy films
Category:LGBT-related romance films
Category:Searchlight Pictures films
Category:Films starring Andrew Scott
Category:Films starring Carter John Grout
Category:Films starring Paul Mescal
Category:Films starring Jamie Bell
Category:Films starring Claire Foy
Category:Films starring Ami Tredrea
Category:Films