We Are All Strangers
我们不是陌生人
The first Singaporean film to screen in competition in the Berlinale’s 70-plus-year history, Anthony Chen’s latest feature is an epic, tender tale of biological and found family.
Having finished military service, Junyang is unsure what comes next – though this doesn’t stop him from disparaging his father Boon Kiat and the latter’s humble noodle stand. Junyang’s girlfriend Lydia, a piano prodigy with university in her sights, faces her mother’s distaste for their relationship. Meanwhile, Boon Kiat grows fond of ‘beer auntie’ Bee Hwa, who peddles alcohol near his stall. As life throws one curveball after another, it’s not long before these four individuals become deeply intertwined.
Reuniting with Koh Jia Ler and Yeo Yann Yann – who both starred in Ilo Ilo (MIFF 2013) and Wet Season (MIFF 2020), the earlier entries in the director’s ‘Growing Up’ trilogy – Anthony Chen again dissects the intricacies of human relationships, this time also critiquing a Singapore where consumerism and class foment divisions. Recalling Edward Yang’s explorations of family, Chen’s masterful portrait dramatises the yearning masked by tough exteriors and devotion, however imperfectly expressed, for loved ones. Touching and quietly thought-provoking, We Are All Strangers challenges its own title, revealing how shared burdens can break down the walls that keep us apart.
“Immensely entertaining … a wholehearted, emotional rush of a movie that holds you in the palm of its hand throughout.” – IndieWire
Tickets
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