Writer, producer, and director Harold Jackson III’s Strangers takes an unflinching look at a marriage on the brink. We meet married couple Diego (Adrian Arthur) and Brooklyn (Kelsey Delemar), whose relationship is steadily unraveling. Diego, a photographer, is on a shoot with model Eve (Andria B Langston), carefully positioning her in front of a fountain. He compliments her beauty, noting how effortless she is to work with. Meanwhile, Brooklyn is in therapy, openly questioning if her marriage has run its course. She suspects Diego has emotionally checked out, and while neither has acted yet, both feel drawn toward other people—Diego toward Eve, and Brooklyn toward charismatic bartender Apollo (Donnie Brown Jr.).
Diego starts making excuses to contact Eve outside of work, inviting her to “hang out.” The invitation begins in a public location, but ultimately finds its way to Eve’s apartment. At the same time, Brooklyn starts visiting Apollo’s bar more frequently. These interactions aren’t yet full-blown affairs, but emotionally our protagonists are heading there.
In Strangers, Harold Jackson III not only documents the end of the marriage, but the beginning of an affair, starting with the wandering eye and the “seven-year itch.” By starting the story at the end of Diego and Brooklyn’s relationship, the film sets the stage for an intimate exploration of temptation, disconnection, and the choices that could redefine their future.
Kelsey Delemar as Brooklyn in Strangers
“These interactions aren’t yet full-blown affairs, but emotionally our protagonists are heading there.”
For anyone in a marriage, Jackson takes us down a very dark, but honest road. We may not like where the relationship is headed, but we certainly have felt those feelings once, a few times, or often. It’s Jackson’s insights into the affair that feel real as a long-time married couple finds new life and change through another person. They’ve opened the door, but is there time to turn back? Then, through flashbacks, we find out the catalyst that brought us here.
Strangers weighs heavily, and that’s thanks in large part to its cast. Kelsey Delemar and Adrian Arthur bear the brunt of the film’s emotional weight. There’s not a lot of talking and discussing; much of what’s unsaid is in their facial expressions and body language.
Movies exist to make you feel. Most of the time, we want to feel uplifted and inspired. Sometimes, films deliver disappointment and guilt. In Strangers, Harold Jackson III delivers a raw and sobering portrayal of marital temptation and the cracks that can widen into chasms when connection fades.
"…delivers a raw and sobering portrayal of marital temptation..."
