All of Us Strangers Parent Guide

Although he’s had modest success as a screenwriter, Adam (Andrew Scott) is deeply lonely. His parents died in a tragic car accident when he was 12 years old, and Adam has struggled to move on with his life since. He might have a romance brewing with his neighbor, Harry (Paul Mescal), but he’s not sure if he can start letting people into his life yet. Lately, things have become even stranger: On a visit to his childhood home, Adam finds his parents (Jamie Bell and Claire Foy), just as he remembered them in his youth. They have a lovely visit, and Adam promises to come again – but the visits might not be helping him as much as he thought. In fact, it just seems to be making things harder…

All of Us Strangers is an intimate little film, with four characters (only two of whom have proper names), and focusing solely on a few days in Adam’s life. The short cast list leaves room for more abstract concepts, but the cast are still putting in strong performances across the board, and do a wonderful job showcasing the film’s themes of loss, grief, and love. It’s not a cheery flick for the holiday season, but it is a compelling watch.

Deep themes and thoughtful performances aside, this film is going to be a hard sell for some audiences, thanks to its negative content. While avoiding outright nudity, there are several gay sex scenes which are both long and unpleasantly explicit – suffice to say, explicit enough that I can’t actually describe them on a family website. There’s also a scene of ketamine use, although this is not portrayed in a positive light, as well as recreational marijuana and alcohol use.

If I had to pick something to gripe about, I might mention that the more fantastical elements of the story are sometimes unclear, but I don’t think that’s a fair complaint. The film is deliberately mysterious, and while it isn’t about to tie a neat little bow on all the supernatural phenomena, the intentionality and clarity of the writing don’t need one. This is about Adam and his feelings, not some elaborate piece of phantasmagorical exposition. If you think you can put up with some of the content concerns (a big “if”, I know) then there’s a strong story here that has a lot to say.