Did you catch the end of “Without Ever Knowing Us”, Andrew Haigh’s new film? If, like us, you are wondering about the reading (or possible readings) of this story, here are some answers. [Spoilers]
Without ever knowing us, in cinemas since Wednesday February 14, 2024 in France, is a film that should stay in your head for a long time.
The film follows the coming together of two men, living in the same building, which seems completely deserted. One of them, Adam, is assailed by memories of his past and returns to the suburban town where he grew up. Arriving in front of his childhood home, he discovers that his parents are occupying the place, and seem to be the same age as the day of their death, more than 30 years ago…
Beyond its magnetic duo of performers (Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott), a unique atmosphere emerges from this feature film thanks to its directing choices and its very rich, almost metaphysical story.
Address more psychological, quasi-metaphysical issues
“I wanted to draw inspiration from my own past, a bit like the character Adam does in the film. What interested me was to delve into the complexity of family love and romantic relationships , but also the experience of a very specific generation of homosexuals who grew up in the 80s. I wanted to move away from the ghostly story of the book [dont le film est adapté]and address more psychological, quasi-metaphysical issues“, explains the director in the press kit for the film.
WARNING, THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS
Without ever knowing us is a film which addresses many subjects (loneliness, homosexuality, love, death…) and which has the particularity of being one of his works which we think about a lot after the have seen, because the reading levels seem multiple.
What to understand from the last sequence of the film?
At the very end of the film, we understand that Harry is dead when Adam finds him lying on his bed, and clearly in this position for some time, with a bottle of alcohol at his side (in this case the bottle of alcohol that we see at the beginning of the film). An obviously heartbreaking scene which suddenly makes us reconsider everything we have just seen. We wonder: how long has he been dead? Was he dead all along?
The magazine Empire asked the director of the film about this ending. “I think that’s the tragedy of this form of loneliness“, explains Andrew Haigh. “The fact that he was in this room, that he was dead and that no one found him like that, including his parents. They didn’t seem to know where he was. And to me, that’s something that breaks your heart and says a lot. This form of love is about making sure you care about each other and knowing that they need youus.”
Without Ever Knowing Us shows us the unique connection that is created between Adam and Harry, and which will remain the last image that emerges from the film, taking us to the stars. The metaphysical side of the film that the filmmaker talks about above also comes through the sensory approach he gives to his film.
A melancholy and strange atmosphere
This sensory approach is notably the result of the film’s very beautiful artistic direction. The film’s director of photography is Jamie Ramsay, who notably worked on Eva Husson’s Between the Lines.
As for the music, it is almost a character in its own right in the film, as it occupies such an important place in the spectator experience. It gives off a very melancholy, and almost strange, atmosphere.
There is the pre-existing songs section, with some hits from the 80s like The Power of love by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Always on my mind by Pet Shop Boys, or Is this love by Alison Moyet).
The film ends with The Power of Love by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, including the following lyrics “Keep the vampires from your door”. These words also make us think that one or both of the characters died long before we understood it. The pupils and the twilight light of the film reinforce this vision of the film.
Furthermore, the impressive sound work as a whole, which includes the film’s original soundtrack, created by Frenchwoman Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch, accentuates this impression of the end of the world/end of life.
What is Without Ever Knowing Us about?
Is the film Without Ever Knowing Us a love story, a ghost story? Actually, the two mixed together. You could say that this is a film about our ghosts, whether they are past loves, loved ones who have left us, and by linking the two, perhaps Andrew Haigh wanted, like a film like 120 Beats Per Minute, to tell us about all these people who died with the AIDS virus. The director explained in interviews that he hoped to reach gay teens of the AIDS years. To complete the circle, let us point out that the ending song of the film, The Power of Love, was released precisely in the middle of the AIDS epidemic in the 80s, and still symbolizes this era of loss, with very moving music.
Find all the cinema releases of the week
Without ever knowing us by Andrew Haigh, with Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott, is on display this Wednesday February 14, 2024.