The poetry in the everyday abounds in this novelistic drama set in modern Singapore, chronicling the daily lives of a father and son and their parallel romantic relationships.
A forthright but warm film that navigates romantic crises and Singapore’s infatuation with the rich.
We Are All Strangers 2026
我们不是陌生人
Premiering in competition at this year’s Berlinale, We Are All Strangers follows 21-year-old ratbag Junyang and his father as they each navigate the precarity of love and money from their cramped public housing flat. Junyang, having recently finished his military service, is bumming around, either doomscrolling or getting caught up in the shiny allure of get-rich-quick schemes, much to the chagrin of his jaded teenage sweetheart. Working long hours at his Hokkien noodle shop, Junyang’s father escalates a casual flirtation with a brassy beer server from the neighbouring establishment into a genuine romance, charming her with cheap and cheerful dates like riding an air-conditioned bus together on a hot day.
Inspired by the films of Edward Yang and Tsai Ming-liang, this fifth feature from filmmaker Anthony Chen (Ilo Ilo, NZIFF 2013) is a warm, naturalistic tribute to imperfect families set against the backdrop of Singapore’s stark class divide. Precarity abounds, but the honest working lives and loves of ordinary people are explored with sincerity and grace.
– Amanda Jane Robinson