All of Us Strangers (2023)

Andrew Haigh delivers a flawless, brazenly personal film that aches and shimmers as a tender portrait of a fragile man reconnecting with lost parents and finding solace in a new relationship. Scott and Mescal’s chemistry is magical in this gorgeous, emotionally raw odyssey.

The critic calls it a supernova of a film and praises Haigh as a modern master. It singles out the electric chemistry between Scott and Mescal as atomic and the film’s ability to capture the catharsis of processing pain.

The critic describes the film as both beautiful and haunting. It singles out Scott’s emotionally bare performance and Haigh’s elegant filmmaking that makes everyday observations feel profound.

The critic hails it as a miraculously uncheesy study of loneliness, forgiveness and the power of love. It singles out the feverish, rapt and tender chemistry between Scott and Mescal.

Haigh combines elements of budding romance and parental reconciliation for a cathartic story richer than his prior work, with stirring performances especially from Claire Foy that heal emotional wounds through sensitive storytelling.

The film is hailed as the year's best, capturing the dreamlike reunion with lost loved ones through a ghost story and gay romance. It excels in its emotional depth, performances, and exploration of family and queer identity.

The critic describes the film as an emotionally wrenching masterpiece and a raw, potent piece of storytelling that grabs you by the heart and doesn’t let go. They single out Andrew Scott’s performance and the director’s personal connection to the material for particular praise.

Andrew Haigh’s adaptation is a very moving piece of work that evades easy genre classification as part romance, fantasy and thriller. Scott and Mescal deliver nuanced, compelling performances with magnetic chemistry in this emotionally satisfying story.

Praises the tender, devastating ghost story reimagined with queer elements, highlighting intimate performances and emotional catharsis around parental acceptance and new romance.

The critic praises the film's shift to more cinematic, fantastical imagery in depicting a screenwriter's emotional reconnection with his deceased parents and a new romance. He notes it excels in family scenes but finds the romantic relationship less fully realized.

The parental ghost story is the stronger, more moving half with terrific performances from Bell and Foy, while the romance feels less organic and airless; the film handles characters' discomfort with their identities admirably but the two strands do not fully cohere.

Haigh delivers a timelessly soul-stirring ode to the power of love in this emotionally shattering ghost story, with Andrew Scott coming out to his dead parents amid strong performances from the cast.

The critic calls it an exquisitely melancholy fantasy-infused meditation on loss and isolation. It singles out the killer combination of 80s queer pop and the devastating performances from Scott and Mescal.

The critic finds Haigh’s time-slipping film a deeply affecting supernatural exploration of grief and structural homophobia. It singles out the performances of Scott and Mescal for their vulnerability and desire in the central relationship.

The critic praises Haigh's personal adaptation as a hauntingly beautiful study of family, love, and loss, highlighting the emotional depth of performances by Scott, Mescal, Foy, and Bell. The film is a soul-stirring companion to Haigh's earlier work, though it may wreck viewers emotionally.

Andrew Scott delivers the performance of his career as a lonely screenwriter who reconnects with the ghosts of his parents in this melancholy ghost story. The film tenderly captures the passion between Scott and Paul Mescal while exploring unresolved family trauma and queer identity.

Andrew Haigh’s ghostly love story is overwhelmingly powerful despite some narrative flaws in the final act. The performances of Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal anchor this devastating exploration of grief, loneliness and love’s infinite nature.

The critic finds the film profoundly moving and one of the most exceptional cinematic experiences in years, noting its deep emotional impact and perfect ending while deliberately avoiding plot details to preserve the viewing experience.

The film offers one of the most shattering and beautiful accounts of loss, love, and loneliness in recent cinema, with an impeccable script and perfect cast led by Andrew Scott driving home its themes of grief and human connection.

The critic calls it the saddest film of the year but a beautiful, heartbreaking masterpiece and early contender for best of the year. They single out Andrew Scott's honest and deeply personal performance for praise, along with the film's tender handling of grief, memory and queer connection.

The critic praises the film as a standout work that explores grief, bereavement, and LGBTQ+ experiences with emotional depth, highlighting strong performances especially from Andrew Scott and effective use of music and atmosphere.

The critic calls the film often sublime, praising Andrew Scott’s superb lead performance and the moving exploration of loneliness, family reconnection, and romance, noting it is hard to shake after viewing.

The critic finds the film well-acted with strong visuals but ultimately too sentimental and emotionally pat, lacking the depth expected from the premise despite impressive performances.

The film is a challenging but rewarding character-driven story of love lost and found, with strong performances from Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal bringing conviction to its ghostly elements and questions about relationships.

The critic praises Haigh's clear-eyed portrayal of lasting heartbreak and loneliness, highlighting the note-perfect performances, especially Andrew Scott's. The film avoids easy uplift, emphasizing that wounds from isolation don't heal easily.

Andrew Haigh’s poignant and understated ghost story is a sublime masterpiece and one of the best films of the year, a rumination on grief and love that breaks your heart only to heal it.