Naman Shrestha
Loosely adapted from the 1987 novel titled ‘Strangers’ by Taichi Yamada, ‘All of Us Strangers’ is a British romantic drama movie that is the second film adaptation of the novel after the 1988 Japanese movie ‘The Discarnates.’ The movie stars Andrew Scott as Adam, a young man who lives alone in a nearly empty apartment block. When a mysterious neighbor named Harry, portrayed by Paul Mescal, enters his life, Adam’s entire routine and life gets turned upside down.
While the romance between Adam and Harry intensifies, the former can’t help but reminisce about his past with his family and his childhood home. When he travels to the suburban town he grew up in, he finds his parents living together, just like they used to before they died tragically, three decades before. Written and helmed by Andrew Haigh, the fantasy film takes the viewers on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, especially that of love and nostalgia, giving them flashbacks of their own childhood in a way. The drama is wrapped mainly in the childhood home of Adam, making many of us curious about where the actual property is located.
All of Us Strangers Filming Locations
‘All of Us Strangers’ was filmed in its entirety in England, specifically in Greater London. The production of the romantic film took place over the course of a couple of months, reportedly commencing in June 2022 under the working title ‘Strangers’ and getting wrapped up in August of the same year. Some strict COVID-19 safety protocols were in place to prevent any potential risk to anyone involved with the project.
Greater London, England
The shooting of almost all the pivotal sequences for ‘All of Us Strangers’ took place in Greater London, an administrative area centered around the eponymous city. A modest home on Purley Downs Road in Sanderstead, just outside of Croydon, served as the hero location for the Andrew Haigh directorial. This property had a significant role in the movie as it was the house that the director grew up in, and with the help of designers, he redecorated the interior to resemble how it used to be.
However, before beginning the production process, Haigh reportedly invited his crew to his childhood home and gave them a tour of the property, letting them into his former bedroom, his parents’ preferred sitting place, and other areas of the house that were in his core memory. Since it had been more than four decades, the house looked different and changed, which is why they had to redecorate the entire place for shooting. So, the filmmaker choosing this house to serve as Adam’s parents’ house in ‘All of Us Strangers’ holds a much deeper meaning and significance.
Elaborating further on this, Claire Foy, who portrays Adam’s mother, stated in an interview with IndieWire, “It added an element of authenticity to it that was already there in the writing. We didn’t need it, but that really worked. The house was a very familiar house to me in the sense that I know people who lived in houses exactly like that. Definitely, it felt very personal, but it felt personal anyway because it’s a small cast. It was a very personal film to me as well, being a mother, being a child of parents, we all are. That’s why he’s so clever.”
The production team of ‘All of Us Strangers’ also utilized some areas near the hero property in Sanderstead to tape several important scenes. For instance, in July 2022, they were spotted by various passersby and onlookers lensing some key portions on Limpsfield Road and the Sanderstead Recreation Ground on Limpsfield Road in South Croydon. The recreational ground is home to a playground, basketball court, and grass areas, all of which served as prominent filming sites.
In addition, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern at 372 Kennington Lane in London also features in some scenes. Also known as the RVT, it is a Grade II-listed gay entertainment venue that is the oldest surviving gay venue in South London. Other than the Andrew Scott starrer, the locales of Greater London also play in the background of numerous films and TV shows, such as ‘Love Actually,’ ‘About Time,’ ‘Red, White & Royal Blue,’ ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover,’ and ‘Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.’
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