After taking home the first award for a Singapore feature film at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, homegrown director Anthony Chen is back to close the final chapter of his Ilo Ilo journey. After making its world premiere at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, We Are All Strangers has dropped a new trailer for local release, alongside the confirmed date of 20 August — coinciding with the nation’s birthday month.
Returning for the penultimate chapter of the ‘Growing Up’ trilogy, following Ilo Ilo and Wet Season, are Yeo Yann Yann and Koh Jia Ler, who led the previous two movies. This time, the story is set to explore the themes of class and inequality, as well as the fragile dynamics between inherited and chosen family, across two couples: one younger, one older, in a shared household. The local element extends to recognisable locations shown in the trailer, including HDB flats, coffee shops, and neighbourhood malls, and the deliberate contradiction of its English and Mandarin titles (我们不是陌生人, translating to ‘We Are Not Strangers’), with small-screen staple Andi Lim and breakout star Regene Lim rounding out the cast.
“In contemporary Singapore, 21-year-old Junyang (Koh) lives in the ease of youth while his father struggles to hold their modest life together. When Junyang’s relationship with his girlfriend (Regene Lim) takes an unexpected and life-altering turn, the young couple is forced to face the realities of adulthood far sooner than anticipated. At the same time, an exuberant woman (Yeo) enters his father’s (Andi Lim) life and heart, quietly reshaping the fragile balance between father and son,” reads the synopsis.
“As both generations confront love, loss, and responsibility, they must redefine what family means — and learn to live with the imperfect bonds between those we are born to and those we choose.”
Chen also produced and wrote We Are All Strangers, which features cinematography by Teoh Gay Hian (At the End of Daybreak, Yuni) and an original score from composers Kin Leonn (The Breaking Ice) and Thomas Foguenne (Stranger Eyes). The film will be released in theatres islandwide on 20 August, courtesy of Giraffe Pictures and Golden Village Pictures.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
