Written by Abby Chadwick. Photo courtesy of IMDb.
Andrew Haigh’s “All of Us Strangers” screened on October 26th at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, and I can safely say that not a single person in that theater walked away with dry eyes. Many attendees I spoke to, including myself, had originally bought the ticket for one of three reasons; either they were “Fleabag” fans excited to see another performance from the immensely talented Andrew Scott, they were “Normal People” fans anxiously awaiting Paul Mescal’s next project, or option three, which is a combination of the two. As expected, both Scott and Mescal proved themselves to be powerhouses in their fields. What I was not expecting though, was for this film to move me in a way that no film ever has, and I’m afraid ever will again.
“All of Us Strangers” follows the character of Adam, played by Scott, as he begins his journey as a writer to recount the memories he has of his parents who were killed in a car accident when he was 11. At the same time, he meets Harry, played by Mescal, and the audience witnesses the beginning of a romance that feels both scarily new and beautifully familiar.
The film is a story of grief and love, and how those two things are intrinsically and undoubtedly connected. It is a film centered on nostalgia and longing and dives into the idea that one’s present self is a strange and intricate mosaic of every moment and experience from their past.
In the conversation following the screening with the film’s director, Andrew Haigh, he spoke about how this nostalgia was created, revealing that many scenes were filmed in his childhood home and the old photographs kept by Andrew Scott’s character were old photographs of Haigh and his parents. But it wasn’t about making the film feel autobiographical. Haigh says, “It’s more about wanting to be very specific. I want this film to feel like it really is embedded in something that is real…I wanted it to be grounded in some reality, but all I can use is my own reality to do that.”
Haigh succeeded. This film did feel real. It felt personal. For one hour and 45 minutes, it filled the ever-present hole of wanting to run home and fall asleep in your childhood bed. I left the theater feeling devastated, yet there was a sense of warmth that has not left me since.
This is a very special film, and I cannot recommend it enough.
Abby Chadwick is District’s Chief Social Media Strategist and an interior design major at SCAD. She has been involved with District since her freshman year, with this year being her third as an editor. Apart from her role at District, Abby can be seen around SCAD walking to and from Clark Hall and enjoying the Savannah coffee scene. (Her go to is an espresso tonic, if you were wondering!)
