If we don’t know, in cinemas from Wednesday 14 February 2024 in France, there is a film that should stay in your head for a long time.
The film tells the story of the gathering of two men who live in the same building, which seems completely abandoned. One of them, Adam, is haunted by memories of his past and returns to the suburban town where he grew up. Arriving in front of his childhood home, he finds his parents occupying the space and seemingly the same age as the day they died, over 30 years ago…
Behind the magnetic duo of performers (Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott), a unique atmosphere emerges from this feature film thanks to its directorial choices and its very rich, almost metaphysical story.
Address more psychological, quasi-metaphysical issues
“I wanted to draw inspiration from my past as Adam’s character in the film. What interested me was exploring the complexities of family love and romantic relationships, but also the experience of a very specific generation of homosexuals. I grew up in the 80s. I wanted to move away from the fictional plot of the book and more psychological, almost metaphysical issues touch me“- explains the director in the press conference of the film.
Warning, this article contains spoilers
We don’t know is a film that deals with many issues (loneliness, homosexuality, love, death…) and that has the peculiarity of one of his works that we think about a lot after seeing, because it seems there are levels of reading. multiple.
What should we learn from the last sequence of the film?
At the end of the film, we learn that Harry is dead when Adam finds him lying on the bed, and apparently for some time, with a bottle of alcohol next to him (in this case, the bottle of alcohol we saw at the beginning of the film). An obviously heart-wrenching scene that suddenly makes us rethink everything we’ve just seen. We wonder: how long has he been dead? Was he dead at all?
Urnal Empire asked the film’s director about this ending. “I think that is the tragedy of this form of loneliness“, explains Andrew Hay.That he was in this room, that he was dead and no one found him, including his parents. It seems they didn’t know where he was. And to me, that’s what breaks your heart and says a lot. This form of love is making sure you care about each other and know that they need youwe.”
Without Ever Knowing Us shows us the unique bond that forms between Adam and Harry, and which will remain the last image that comes out of the film and leads us to the stars. The metaphysical side of the film that the filmmaker talks about above also comes through in the sensory approach he gives to his film.
Melancholy and strange atmosphere
This sensory approach is especially a result of the film’s very beautiful art direction. The cinematographer of the film is Jamie Ramsey, who notably worked on Eva Hewson’s film Between the Lines.
As for the music, it is almost a character in itself in the film, as it plays an important role in the audience’s experience. It gives off a very melancholic and almost eerie vibe.
There is a pre-existing songs section, with some hits from the 80s, such as The Power of Love by Frankie Meade Hollywood, Always on my mind by Pet Shop Boys, or Is this love by Alison Moyet).
The film ends with Frankie going to Hollywood with The Power of Love, which includes the following lyrics “Keep the vampires from your door”. These words also suggest that one or both of the characters died long before we knew it. Pupils and the film’s twilight reinforce this vision of the film.
Additionally, the impressive sound work as a whole, which includes the film’s original soundtrack composed by Frenchwoman Emilie Levienaz-Farouche, accentuates this end-of-the-world/end-of-life impression.
What is it without knowing us?
Is the movie Without Ever Knowing Us a love story, a ghost? In fact, the two are intertwined. You could say that this is a film about our ghosts, whether they are about past loves, loved ones who have left us, and in relation to these two, perhaps Andrew Hay wanted, like a film like 120 beats per minute, to tell us about everything. These are the people who died of the AIDS virus. The director explained in interviews that he hoped to reach gay teenagers of the AIDS years. To complete the circle, we note that the closing song of the film, The Power of Love, was released right in the middle of the AIDS epidemic of the 80s and still symbolizes this era of loss with very moving music.
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without our knowledge Posted by Andrew Hay with Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott on this Wednesday, February 14, 2024.
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
