Gay Drama All Of Us Strangers Sweeps BIFA

Gay drama ‘All of Us Strangers’ has swept the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) bringing multiple wins for British filmmaker Andrew Haigh.

Last week, the romantic fantasy film won seven BIFA’s including Best British Indie, Best Director and Best Screenplay. The film is adapted from the 1987 novel ‘Strangers’ by renowned Japanese writer Taichi Yamada who sadly passed away in November 2023 at the age of 89.

The BIFA’s offer a substantial opportunity for queer filmmakers in the UK with Matthew Warchus’ film Pride taking home Best Indie in 2014 and Francis Lee’s directorial debut God’s Own Country winning the award in 2017.

Andrew Scott And Paul Mescal Play Lovers

The adaptation of ‘Strangers’ is set in a London tower block and revolves around a romance between Adam played by Andrew Scott (the Hot Priest in Fleabag) and his mysterious neighbour Harry played by Paul Mescal (Normal People, Carmen).

As their relationship develops Adam is flooded with memories of his past and he discovers that his parents are still living at the family home. Here’s the twist – his parents died thirty years before. Using this supernatural device what transpires is a healing of sorts as Adam speaks candidly to his father about his life and his sexuality.

The film also stars Claire Foy (The Crown) and Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot, Rocketman) but it is Mescal who won the BIFA for Best Actor.

Haigh comes to writing and directing after years in various jobs as a runner and assistant editor. Haigh made Greek Pete an explicit film about male escorts in London followed by Weekend, a film about “an honest and unapologetic love story between two guys and the universal struggle for an authentic life.”

While we wait for the Australian release of ‘All of Us Strangers’  on January 18, 2024, you can get your catch up on your dose of Paul Mescal in Sally Rooney’s Normal People playing on Stan. If you haven’t seen Andrew Scott’s performance as the hot priest in Fleabag Season 2 you can also catch that on Amazon Prime.