Content Warning: Reference to homophobia and suicide
Music serves a distinct emotional purpose within films, and the song choices in All of Us Strangers are a perfect example of music choice done right. All of Us Strangers is a beautifully tragic film detailing the intimate relationship between protagonists Adam and Harry, who are brought together by the prevailing loneliness and longing they feel for deep connection and affection. The storyline itself is heart-breaking as it is without the addition of music, but the two songs featured prominently as part of the story are undeniably responsible for nurturing a devastating vulnerability in the film’s characters, and eliciting a raw emotional response in its audience. The themes of connection, isolation, and the unsaid in All of Us Strangers would not be anywhere near as impactful without the masterful and purposeful use of historically relevant and politically charged music.
[Warning: there are spoilers ahead!!!]
The first of the two significant, featured songs in All of Us Strangers is Always on My Mind by The Pet Shop Boys. It is a bitter-sweet ballad first sung by Elvis Presley, widely regarded as an apology to his wife after their divorce. The Pet Shop Boys transform this melancholy song into a synth-pop upbeat track, suitable for the dance floor, while also retaining the sorrow of the song’s lyrics. Always on My Mind is used in a pivotal scene roughly half way through the film marking Adam’s true acceptance by his parents. The scene is a reimagining of Christmas with his parents where they are decorating the tree together, as they did when he was a child. His mum turns to him tearfully and sings the lyrics of this song at him, admitting how “maybe [she] didn’t treat [him] quite as good as [she] should” but that she’s so happy he is hers. Using this song for such an emotionally charged scene was a masterful choice by Andrew Haigh because of the unspoken, retrospectiveness of the apology. They do not force an open, 21st century conversation, but portray a quiet moment of vulnerability between a mother and son that is far more impactful. The brilliance of this song choice works on multiple levels: firstly, it was the 1987 Christmas UK number 1 so would have had plenty of air time and so does not feel out of place in this scene, and secondly, The Pet Shop Boys’ musical and performance aesthetics promoted queer visibility, so the song acts as a crucial reminder of the elephant in the room being addressed in a scene where no words are exchanged. Whilst Adam’s mother does not outrightly say, “I’m sorry”, her rendition of these lyrics seems, in Adam’s imagination, the most realistic way to achieve such an apology. We can see how much this moment means to him, and so it is perhaps not right to demand more. The film explores his struggle to heal his childhood trauma and find familial acceptance posthumously, so it is natural that he would seek such acceptance rooted in the memories of his parents that he has. His reimagining of this Christmas scene reflects his still-childlike need for love and approval from his parents, and this vulnerable, discreet rendition of Always On My Mind is, in my opinion, the perfect, most beautiful, way to achieve this.
The second featured, significant song in the film is The Power of Love by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. It is a sombre, melancholic song performed by a hugely influential band in the music scene of 80s Britain, and the movement for gay rights and visibility in Britain. Fronted by an openly gay lead singer, Holly Johnson, Frankie Goes To Hollywood created a distinct moment in which the top of the charts was led by an unapologetically gay band using queer and openly sexual aesthetics, for example fetish gear, that led them to be banned by the BBC for a period of time. Frankie Goes To Hollywood can be credited with successfully representing queerness on a large stage and opening the door for more LGBT artists to achieve commercial success. The significance of The Power of Love being featured in All Of Us Strangers is tragically not made apparent until the end of the film where it is revealed that Harry, Adam’s lover, has been dead the whole time. This revelation makes sense of the reference that Harry makes at the beginning of the film, saying “there’s vampires at my door”. This retrospective epiphany intensifies the already intense sadness that his suicide evokes, because it links his potent loneliness to the uniquely isolating experience of being gay in a heteronormative world. His reference to the vampires at his door is a desperate final call for love and connection, for the kind of devotion and care that Frankie sings about in The Power of Love. The film explores the loneliness associated with being gay through the perspective of an older and younger gay man, detailing the way that culture has shifted in the last 40 years, yet the loneliness still prevails. The final scene of the film is where The Power of Love is heard in its entirety, providing a heart-breaking, intimate contrast to the depths of aloneness that Harry feels in his final moments. We see Adam comforting Harry’s spectral form, providing him with the comfort and love he aches for, and echoing the plea that Harry voices at the beginning of the film. Adam quotes the opening lines of the song, reassuring Harry, “I’ll protect you from the hooded claw, keep the vampires from your door.” We then see the bed get smaller and smaller until they become a star amongst a sparkling sky of stars. This scene is done so beautifully it is, in my experience, impossible not to sob at the intimate and loving conclusion of the tragic events that precede it. The ending is open to interpretation, and does not answer any questions that the film poses about temporality and imagination. How I prefer to deconstruct the ending is through the final image of stars in a vast sky, with The Power of Love playing overhead. It does not matter really whether Adam continues a ghostly relationship with Harry, or whether Adam has been dead all along too. I don’t think we should be concerned with finding the answer to every ambiguity the film fosters, but we should instead sit in the emotion that the film has elicited. In my view, the final scene references the millions of queer relationships across the world that are battling against violent persecution, alienation and isolation, and the queer relationships and individuals who have died before progress has been achieved. Adam and Harry are just one couple amongst that sky of stars, and despite the tragedy of their lives on earth they have managed to find comfort and acceptance in each other’s arms. I think that the final image in the film manifests a hope that all the other stars in this sky will be able to do the same.
Without these two songs, All of Us Strangers would not be able to achieve the emotional vulnerability and deep impact that it unleashes on its viewers. Both songs are part of a rich and important history of queer identity and visibility within British music and culture, serving a beautiful and heart-breaking purpose within the film. They are a reminder of the mostly unacknowledged impact of queer musicians on the British and global music stage, as well as how the fight for queer visibility in mainstream media and culture still prevails today. The film itself adds to and is part of a long history of queer films and the slow growing appreciation and representation of queer love stories in the media. These two songs also serve as a reminder of the significance of music within film to create a distinct emotional response in the viewer, and it must be acknowledged that All of Us Strangers would not be in any way as emotionally devastating if it did not feature the beautiful lyricism of Always on My Mind and The Power of Love.
HOMOPHOBIA: If you or someone you know is experiencing homophobia, visit Mind’s website https://www.mind.org.uk/ to access mental health resources.You can also call Switchboard, a listening service for and operated by LGBT+ people, on 0300 330 0630.
SUICIDE: If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, call Samaritans for free on 116123 or by emailing jo@samaritans.org. You can also contact SHOUT, a confidential 24/7 text service, on 85258, Papyrus Hopeline UK, a confidential suicide prevention service, on +44-08000684141, or Nightline, a confidential, anonymous listening service for students, through their website https://nightline.org.uk/. You can also call Switchboard, a listening service for and operated by LGBT+ people, on 0300 330 0630.