“All of Us Strangers” Movie Review: A Love That Transcends Life and Death

     Romance is a genre I have grown to appreciate more over time as an avenue for stellar emotional acting and stories that have left my heart aching. 

     Long gone are the days of the mindset that romance movies are cheesy plots filled with cliches. It is instead a genre that houses some of my favorite films. 

     “All of Us Strangers” is one such film, as it surprised me with its intensely emotional story. 

     The film follows a screenwriter named Adam (Andrew Scott) who starts a romantic relationship with fellow tenant Harry (Paul Mescal), as they are the only ones living in an apartment complex and both very lonely. 

     Soon after beginning their relationship, Adam begins to have visions of his parents who died when he was little. From there, he begins to question what is real and what isn’t. 

     The movie does a fantastic job of showing how loving Adam and Harry’s relationship is but also how unstable it potentially could be as they both have immense emotional baggage. 

     Some of this baggage comes in the form of Harry finding comfort in his delusions and needing to talk to his parents despite them not being real. 

     This setup leads to many very powerful moments that highlight Harry’s loneliness in life, his trauma over losing his parents and his frustration over suppressing his sexuality when he was younger. 

     The emotional crux of this film is elevated through breathtaking shots and scenes that are almost dreamlike. Each scene does a good job of telling how a character is feeling without directly telling you, which is something I greatly appreciate. 

     The film also sports one of my favorite soundtracks in recent memory with ambient songs that add to the sense of loneliness and licensed tracks that match the mood. The film uses the song “The Power of Love” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood so effectively that it was impossible for me not to cry. 

     There are a few moments that feel a tad cliche in hindsight, but the movie’s soaring highs far outweigh its minor problems. 

     I highly recommend this film as I feel it is one of the best of this previous year and wish it got a wider release sooner. Even if you are not a fan of romance, “All of Us Strangers” is still worth checking out.