Film: All of Us Strangers

I'm back in Ireland for the weekend again. And ooh, the film for the weekend was a doozy - All of Us Strangers stars both Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott! Dearie me, I shouldn't know where to look.. Plus, it's a ghost story! Andrew Scott returns to his hometown - where he finds, er, his parents (Jamie Bell and Claire Foy). Except.. they died 30 years before! Right down my alley. Saw it in the Omniplex, as usual. I kept checking that they hadn't changed the showing time..

Had this to do and that to do.. left a little later than I intended. Had a small conniption when I saw the heavy traffic heading towards town - until I saw they all seemed to be turning right, probably in the direction of Thomond Park. Mercifully, although I was held up creeping through the city centre, it wasn't anything as bad as at Christmas - and it was just five minutes past the scheduled time when I swung into the cinema carpark. Which was completely full.. but I managed to get a space around the side. I really fancied chocolate, and lo! there was no queue, so I managed to get some (and get shot of some change). Made the cinema just as the ads were ending!

I was never not going to like this. As I suspected, the supernatural element serves more of a relationship purpose - certainly, Andrew Scott has never been associated with horror (that I know of). He's a screenplay writer, writing about his parents - gets writer's block, decides to head out to the family home. Where, lo and behold, he runs right into them.. it's a chance to get things off his chest, to resolve issues, to let them know what happened to him since.

He's essentially led a lonely life - he was an only child, then an orphan, gay, and never fitted in. And now his profession is one he does from home - home being a swanky apartment on the outskirts of London. The apartment complex is new, only one other flat in the whole place being occupied - and that's by Paul Mescal. Who, as is mentioned at one point in the film, "has a sad face".. he's also gay, and his family know, have always known. But as his brother and sister marry and make lives for themselves, he finds them taking the focus of the family, while he's pushed more and more to the outskirts..

So, it's a film about loneliness. Not "loneliness of the modern age", per se - we don't see them addicted to online activities and shunning regular society, there's no single cause - it's because of homosexuality, or just being different, or it's a forced consequence of where they live. Andrew Scott, as ever, plays a blinder, his expressive face conveying grief, or an impish sense of humour, and a lot of the time, you just want to hug him. Both he and Paul Mescal are eminently watchable - and the fact that they're both gay in this, and of course start a relationship together, gives plenty of scope for, well, ogling them, if that's your thing. Lots of bare skin. But mainly, the film is intensely moving, heartbreaking even - beautifully depicted, by two consummate actors. Gorgeous cinematography. Truly memorable. (Of course, I've never seen Andrew Scott be bad in anything - and I think this is the best Paul Mescal has been.) As someone said, it's a travesty that this has been overlooked for the Oscars. Oh, and I nearly forgot to mention - fabulous 80s soundtrack!

Heading back to London tomorrow, and on Monday, I'm headed to The Hills of California, at the Harold Pinter. Another of those great value Seatplan vouchers..

Now, Tuesday and Wednesday are film - hence the revamped film list. Very happy with my choices those days as well - having edited out the chaff at the top of the list, Tuesday is going to be The Holdovers, a comedy about students who have nowhere to go at Christmas, so they stay on campus, with a couple of teachers as "babysitters". The excellent Paul Giamatti is one of the teachers given the job.. Showing in my closest cinema, the Curzon Aldgate. And when I mentioned that in the London Movie Club, someone said that'd suit him too, so we've now arranged to go together. Just have to find somewhere decent to eat around there..

And on Wednesday - well gee, there's another highly rated horror! Actually, the London Horror Film Group saw this last night - the film in question is Baghead, and the "baghead" is some kind of supernatural being who can put you in contact with the dead. Wears a bag over her head, and when you take it off, she has taken on the appearance of the person you're talking to. Just like last year's Talk to Me, however, there's a time limit - with strict penalties for overstepping. (They give you a whole two minutes in this one - in Talk to Me, it was 90 seconds..) Anyway, it'll be interesting to see why it's so highly rated! Apparently, the director says he has derived a lot of his inspiration from Guillermo del Toro - reason enough to see it, in my book. Closest to me showing it is the Odeon Tottenham Court Road, which was once my local - and as always with the Odeon, it's cheaper to book, so I did.

The next two nights' entertainment, I got the idea for from Over 40 Living the Life, who are charging more for tickets, so I'll be seeking to avoid them. On Thursday, I'm seeing the Bronco Billy musical, at the Charing Cross Theatre.

And on Friday, I'm going to Murder Trial Tonight 2, at Sadler's Wells.