"Adam" (Andrew Scott) lives a rather lonely life atop a London tower block where he is struggling to write a new book. He's obviously had some success before, but right now he spends much of his time in front of the television watching video-taped editions of the BBC's "Top of the Pops" music programme. A fire alarms sends him onto the street where he espies the only other person living in their brand new building - who didn't bother to evacuate. Back upstairs that man knocks on his door, introduces himself as "Harry" (Paul Mescal) and suggests a night cap - with benefits! "Adam" declines and next day takes a train, goes for a walk and appears to pick up a man in a park. He follows him, they rendezvous outside an off-licence and we discover that this is actually his dad (Jamie Bell) who takes him home to his mum (Claire Foy) where they share a drink and a fond reminisce. He goes home and again bumps into "Harry" and we begin to sense that there is a smouldering chemistry between these two men that is slow-burning, but potent. In the course of their chat - one of those first date, polite, conversations about getting to know each other when you really just want to get on with some "furious jumping" - we discover something rather startling about his parents and this news completely recalibrates the story as the two men gradually see their relationship evolve and we learn a great deal more about what has led "Adam" to his current life of introspection and isolation. On many levels this is about intimacy. Sure, between the two men, but also between him and - separately and together - his parents and himself as we all embark on quite a poignant journey of discovery that doesn't shy away from issues of sexual and personal identity, (largely benign) ignorance and of longing. Not just physical longing, but psychological longing too. At times it reminded me of Haigh's must less sophisticated "The Weekend" (2011) in that it puts together two men in a closely knit scenario where neither know the other, both are distinctly different in personality and the conversational dialogue is plausible and relevant. The denouement takes a bit of getting used to - it's left field but then it isn't - before all fits quite neatly if disturbingly at the end. I've always been a fan of the ballsy Jamie Bell - and he delivers engagingly and emotionally here as does an on-form Mescal who again shows his acting diversity as the deliverer of character parts with, here, the perfect foil to the under-stated performance from Scott whose persona is about as enigmatic as I have seen. It benefits from a second viewing, and is most definitely not the slushy boy meets boy romance you might expect. Good soundtrack too - Frankie's "The Power of Love" sounds superb with cinema sound...
