The moving new drama from director Andrew Haigh featuring Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal reaches an emotional finale.
Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal lead the critically acclaimed new drama All of Us Strangers.
Director Andrew Haigh – known for his groundbreaking film Weekend and seminal drama series Looking – helms this story of romantic love, parents, identity and mortality.
Scott stars as Adam, a solitary screenwriter living in east London in a mostly deserted apartment block, who attempts to write about his parents and address his past.
Adam’s routine is interrupted when his neighbour Harry (Paul Mescal) enters into his life and they strike up a strong connection.
Amid this potential new romance, Adam heads back to his childhood home and spends time with his parents, portrayed by Jamie Bell and Claire Foy.
However, there’s a slight catch – Adam’s parents died when he was 12 years old.
The emotional film comes to a surprising close – but what does the ending of All of Us Strangers mean?
**Spoiler warning for All of Us Strangers**
All of Us Strangers ending explained: What happened to Adam and Harry?
Throughout the film, Adam gradually begins to open himself up to the possibility of a serious relationship with Harry, revealing more about his past, journey with his sexuality, and struggles with the loss of his parents.
Eventually, it appears that Harry too sees the potential for a serious romantic relationship with Adam, swooning at the idea of them spending mundane Friday evenings together.
Towards the climax of the movie, Adam decides to take Harry to meet his late parents, troubling Harry, who appears concerned for Adam’s wellbeing.
However, once at Adam’s childhood home in Sussex, Harry does indeed see Adam’s parents through the backdoor window.
This prompts Harry to flee the house, but Adam ends up staying for a final emotional encounter with his late parents.
After saying a touching goodbye to his mum and dad, Adam returns to his apartment block and heads to Harry’s apartment – but finds the door open and the television displaying static.
Noticing a foul smell, Adam eventually ventures to Harry’s bedroom and finds his dead decomposing body inside with a bottle of whiskey at his side – the same that Harry had brought to Adam’s flat during their first encounter.
Upset, Adam then leaves the room and encounters Harry’s spirit, who gets emotional in realising that he is dead, that he died alone and how much he now cared for Adam and wanted a connection when he first headed to Adam’s door.
The pair then head back to Adam’s flat and lie down on Adam’s bed, with both lying on their sides and Adam spooning Harry.
Harry asks Adam to put a song on, and Adam soothes him and plays Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s The Power of Love.
A bright light emerges and we see the image of what appears to be bright lights or stars in the sky, before one light grows blinding and cuts to the credits as the song plays.
Was Harry dead all along in All of Us Strangers?
No, Harry was not dead for the entirety of All of Us Strangers – but only in his first speaking encounter with Adam was he still alive.
A slightly intoxicated Harry first approached Adam at the latter’s flat door and offered him a drink, flirted with him, and even suggested they had sex.
However, Adam shut his door on him and rejected him.
After this, we saw Harry intoxicated in the lift down to his apartment, and this would appear to be the last time we see him alive.
When Adam later heads to Harry’s apartment at the end of the film, he finds Harry’s dead body wearing the same clothes he was wearing when he went up to see Adam, and the empty bottle beside his body is the same drink he offered to share with Adam.
Adam regrets turning Harry away as he was scared to connect with anyone, and the emotional spirit of Harry realises he died alone and no one had realised he was gone – or seemed to care.
Harry makes clear that he is happy with Adam and wishes they’d had more time together. They spend time together again in Adam’s bed and music plays.
The emerging bright light seems to suggest that perhaps this is when Harry’s spirit is soothed and moves on, while Adam’s heart is now open to the possibility of loving and being loved.
What happened to Adam’s parents?
Adam reveals in conversation with Harry in the film that his parents died in a car crash at Christmas when he was 12.
Having gone to visit a friend and then driven while they were both drunk, their car skidded on black ice and crashed.
It is revealed that Adam’s father was killed instantly, but his mother was critically injured and lost an eye.
Adam’s mother was taken to hospital and eventually regained consciousness briefly, and was scared and confused before later dying.
Adam was not able to say goodbye to his mother as his maternal grandmother did not believe he was old enough for that traumatic experience.
Thanks to the various conversations with their spectres throughout the film, Adam works through some unspoken tensions, resentments, unrealised dreams and emotions with both of his late parents, and they make clear how much they loved him and each other.
When the pair ask Adam about their deaths, Adam lies that they both died quickly, which soothes the concerns of his mother.
Adam’s father passes on first after telling Adam he loves him and never told him enough before his eyes deaden, and Adam’s mother’s sight appears to go before she also professes her love for him and pushes for him to find love and happiness with Harry – encouraging Adam to take care of him.
Their final goodbye takes place in a diner that the trio had often visited, and once they both ‘pass on’, Adam is sat there alone in tears.
What did the final scene of All of Us Strangers mean?
The final scene sees Adam soothing the ‘spirit’ of Harry in the former’s bed, and they lie on their sides with Harry’s back facing Adam.
As they speak, their love and care for each other is palpable, and Harry tells Adam to not let his heart get tangled up again and close down the chance to be happy.
Harry asks Adam to put a song on, and one of Adam’s favourite songs plays – The Power of Love by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, which had also been playing when Harry first visited Adam’s apartment.
Adam then repeats a lyric from the song, which Harry had said to him during their first encounter: “I’ll protect you from the hooded claw, keep the vampires from your door.”
The camera zooms out from the pair as they appear to be engulfed by black, before a bright light emerges and then the camera circles as further bright lights appear.
In the end, the others disappear before one glows so bright it engulfs the screen, ending the film.
This encounter could be interpreted as Harry’s spirit ‘moving on’ after his tragic and lonely demise, but with Adam, he finds peace and contentment and can pass on alone.
The experience of this ghostly relationship with Adam has also helped him to confront his deep-rooted issues connected to his parents, intimacy and sexuality and, as Harry hopes, Adam can hope to find happiness after the loss of his parents and Harry.
Was Adam actually encountering ghosts in All of Us Strangers?
The answer appears to be yes.
Despite the previously naturalistic realism of Andrew Haigh’s previous filmography, All of Us Strangers does deal in a form of magical realism.
There do indeed appear to be ghosts in the film, with Adam encountering his late parents and then his dead neighbour and love interest Harry.
Harry’s spirit also appears to see those of Adam’s parents and vice versa, too.
However, given that Adam is a screenwriter and was seeking to write about his parents, one might argue that he has imagined these conversations with his parents and his ghostly romance with Harry for the sake of his film.
Yet, considering how much All of Us Strangers wears its heart on its sleeve, it really does appear to be dealing in ghostly encounters.