All of Us Strangers ending explained: What happened to Adam and Harry?

Amid this burgeoning relationship, Adam explores his past and pays a visit to his childhood home and encounters his parents (Jamie Bell and a BAFTA-nominated Claire Foy).

However, the catch here is that Adam's parents died in a crash when he was a child.

The film offers a startling meditation on grief, sexuality and identity at large, but then shocks with a bold twist.

So, what exactly happens to Adam and Harry in All of Us Strangers and what exactly does the ending mean? Read on for everything you need to know.

**Spoiler warning for the ending of All of Us Strangers**

All of Us Strangers ending explained: What happened to Adam and Harry?

Throughout the film, solitary Adam - who lives in a virtually empty apartment building in East London – gradually begins to open himself up to the possibility of a serious relationship with Harry, revealing more about his past, journey with his sexuality, and struggles with the loss of his parents.

Eventually, it appears that Harry too sees the potential for a serious romantic relationship with Adam, swooning at the idea of them spending mundane Friday evenings together watching television on Adam's sofa.

Towards the movie's climax, Adam decides to take Harry to meet his late parents, troubling Harry, who appears concerned for Adam's wellbeing as Adam already divulged that his parents were long dead.

However, once at Adam's childhood home in Sussex, Harry does indeed see Adam's parents through the backdoor window - and they him.

This encounter prompts Harry to flee the area, but Adam ends up staying for a final emotional encounter with his late parents after awakening in his childhood bedroom.

After saying a touching goodbye to his mum and dad in a diner, Adam returns to his apartment block and heads to Harry's apartment which he has never visited before - but finds the door open and the television displaying static.

Noticing a foul smell, Adam eventually ventures to Harry's bedroom and finds his dead decomposing body inside with a bottle of whiskey at his side - the same that Harry had brought to Adam's flat during their first encounter.

Upset, Adam then leaves the room and encounters Harry's spirit, who gets emotional in realising that he is dead, that he died alone and how much he now cares for Adam and wants a connection when he first heads to Adam's door at the beginning of the film.

The pair then head back to Adam's flat and lie down on Adam's bed, with both lying on their sides and Adam spooning Harry.

Harry asks Adam to put a song on, and Adam soothes him and plays Frankie Goes To Hollywood's The Power of Love.

A bright light emerges and we see the image of what appears to be bright lights or stars in the sky before one light grows blinding and cuts to the credits as the song plays.

Was Harry dead all along in All of Us Strangers?

No, Harry was not dead for the entirety of All of Us Strangers – but only in his first speaking encounter with Adam was he still alive.

A slightly intoxicated Harry first approached Adam at the latter's flat door and offered him a drink, flirted with him, and even suggested they had sex.

However, an emotionally isolated Adam shut his door on him and rejected him - not knowing that this would be his only encounter with Harry while he was still alive.

After this, we saw Harry intoxicated in the lift down to his apartment, and this would appear to be the last time we see him alive.

When Adam later heads to Harry's apartment at the end of the film, he finds Harry's dead body wearing the same clothes he was wearing when he went up to see Adam and the empty bottle beside his body is the same drink he offered to share with Adam.

Adam regrets turning Harry away as he was scared to connect with anyone, and the emotional spirit of Harry realises he died alone and no one had realised he was gone - or seemed to care.

Harry makes clear that he is happy with Adam and wishes they'd had more time together. They spend time together again in Adam's bed and music plays.

The emerging bright light suggests that this is when Harry's spirit is soothed and moves on, while Adam's heart is now open to the possibility of loving and being loved.

Is Adam dead in All of Us Strangers?

There is nothing to suggest in the film that Adam is also dead.

The character does seem to live in a soulless and lonely purgatory-like existence in London until he meets Harry, but it genuinely appears as if he is choosing to isolate himself.

Thus the journey he goes on with letting go of his parents and then opening himself up to Harry is a journey of huge growth for him.

So, we can only hope that he can move on in his own way and open his heart up once more.

What happened to Adam's parents?

Adam reveals in conversation with Harry in the film that his parents died in a car crash at Christmas when he was 12.

Having gone to visit friends and then driven home while they were both drunk, their car skidded on black ice and crashed.

It is revealed that Adam's father was killed instantly, but his mother was critically injured by going through the windshield and lost an eye.

Adam's mother was taken to hospital and eventually regained consciousness briefly, and was scared and confused before later dying.

Adam was not able to say goodbye to his mother as his maternal grandmother did not believe he was old enough for that traumatic experience.

Thanks to the various conversations with their spectres throughout the film, Adam works through some unspoken tensions, resentments, unrealised dreams and emotions with both of his late parents, and they make clear how much they loved him and each other.

In one key scene set at Christmas when the pair died, the family decorate the Christmas tree together and Adam's mother sings along to the Pet Shop Boys song Always on My Mind, with the lyrics saying more than perhaps a simple conversation ever could.

Adam's mother sings: "Maybe I didn't hold you, All those lonely, lonely times, And I guess I never told you, I'm so happy that you're mine".

In an earlier scene, Adam's mother displayed period-accurate ignorance around homosexual lifestyles and appeared uncomfortable and melancholy with Adam's life as a gay man.

Later, Adam's father revealed he suspected Adam's homosexuality during his son's school years but never addressed it, but in their encounters, he professes this and apologises for never comforting him when he knew Adam was crying in his room over being bullied.

The pair ultimately show their immense love for their son and sadness at having not been there for him more both before and after their deaths.

Before both leave him forever, they head to a childhood favourite eatery at a diner in a shopping centre in Croydon.

When the pair ask Adam about their deaths, Adam lies that they both died quickly, which soothes the concerns of his mother who in actuality endured a slower and more painful death.

Adam's father passes on first after telling Adam he loves him and never told him enough before his eyes deaden, and Adam's mother's sight appears to go before she also professes her love for him and pushes for him to find love and happiness with Harry - encouraging Adam to take care of him.

Their final goodbye takes place in a diner that the trio had often visited, and once they both 'pass on', Adam is sat there alone in tears.

What did the final scene of All of Us Strangers mean?

The final scene sees Adam soothing the 'spirit' of Harry in the former's bed, and they lie on their sides with Harry's back facing Adam.

As they speak, their love and care for each other is palpable, and Harry tells Adam to not let his heart get tangled up again and close down the chance to be happy.

Harry asks Adam to put a song on, and one of Adam's favourite songs plays - The Power of Love by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, which had also been playing when Harry first visited Adam's apartment.

Adam then repeats a lyric from the song, which Harry had said to him during their first encounter: "I'll protect you from the hooded claw, keep the vampires from your door."

The camera zooms out from the pair as they appear to be engulfed by black before a bright light emerges and then the camera circles as further bright lights appear.

In the end, the others disappear before one glows so bright it engulfs the screen, ending the film.

This encounter could be interpreted as Harry's spirit 'moving on' after his tragic and lonely demise, but with Adam, he finds peace and contentment and can pass on alone.

The experience of this ghostly relationship with Adam has also helped him to confront his deep-rooted issues connected to his parents, intimacy and sexuality and, as Harry hopes, Adam can hope to find happiness after the loss of his parents and Harry.

• Read More: All of Us Strangers soundtrack: Every song in Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal film

Did Adam really encounter ghosts in All of Us Strangers?

The answer appears to be yes.

Despite the previously naturalistic tone of Andrew Haigh's previous filmography, All of Us Strangers does deal in a form of magical realism.

There do indeed appear to be ghosts in the film, with Adam encountering his late parents and then his dead neighbour and love interest Harry.

Harry's spirit also appears to see those of Adam's parents and vice versa, too.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Haigh revealed: "In many ways, the whole film to me was a love letter saying, it's okay. It's quite hard. You've all been through some stuff, but you can move on from this and you can find love. You might lose it again, but you might find it again. That to me is an optimistic outcome in some strange sense, that you can just keep finding love even when it vanishes. And it doesn't vanish forever. That's important to me. That's where it is all about love at the end."

However, given that Adam is a screenwriter and was seeking to write about his parents, one might argue that he has imagined these conversations with his parents and his ghostly romance with Harry for the sake of his film.

Yet, considering how much All of Us Strangers wears its heart on its sleeve, it really does appear to be dealing in ghostly encounters.

Haigh, however, leaves this open to interpretation, best seen to be mirroring the words of Foy's mother character in an earlier scene when Adam asks if their encounters are real: "Does it feel real?"

Emotional connection is the key with All of Us Strangers.

What other films and TV series can you see from All of Us Strangers director Andrew Haigh?

Director Andrew Haigh has been an acclaimed director for over a decade now. Following his first film Greek Pete in 2009, Haigh found critical attention with his indie hit Weekend (2011) which followed a gay love story over two days.

Following this success, Haigh was recruited by HBO to work as a director and showrunner on the series Looking starring Jonathan Groff, which ran from 2014 to 2015 when it was cancelled due to low ratings. However, the series was critically acclaimed and received a television movie to wrap up its storylines in 2016.

Also in 2015, Haigh's film 45 Years achieved awards attention for a haunting drama starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay.

In 2017, Haigh followed this up with the US indie drama Lean on Pete starring Charlie Plummer and Chloe Sevigny.

In 2019, the director helmed two episodes of the acclaimed Netflix genre-bending series The OA before helming the BBC2 mini-series The North Water which starred Colin Farrell and Jack O'Connell, which aired in 2021.

Fans will have to wait and see what Haigh follows up All of Us Strangers with!

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All of Us Strangers is available now on Disney+.

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