THE STORY – In bustling contemporary Singapore, 21-year-old Junyang is enjoying the ease of youth while his father struggles to hold their modest life together. When Junyang’s relationship with his girlfriend 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 enters his father’s life and heart, quietly reshaping the fragile balance between father and son. As both generations confront love, loss, and responsibility, they must redefine what family means – and learn to live with the imperfect bonds between the family they were born into and the one they now choose to love.
THE CAST – Yeo Yann Yann, Koh Jia Ler, Andi Lim & Regene Lim
THE TEAM – Anthony Chen (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 157 Minutes
Everybody, at some point in their lives, whether early in childhood or as they approach adulthood, begins to realize that even their parents are living life for the first time, too. These figures of authority and responsibility, who may from the outside seem to have figured out the secret of life and overcome any strife that comes their way, are also experiencing things with the same fresh perspective and overwhelming emotions as you. It’s a powerful realization that has clearly shaped Anthony Chen’s filmmaking in “We Are All Strangers.”
Chen’s latest film takes place in the bustling heart of contemporary Singapore, following an excellent ensemble of characters from all walks of life. There’s Lim Boon Kiat, a good-natured noodle chef searching for purpose in his repetitive routine; his son, Lim Junyang, whose unexpected leap into fatherhood forces him to accept responsibility for the first time; and Lee Bee Hwa, a waitress struggling to make ends meet in the country’s deeply hierarchical economy. These stories merge in deeply human, tender, and emotional ways as the characters discover what life is really about through an entertaining and often moving chain of trial and error.
The central narrative of “We Are All Strangers” centers on the parallel romances of Boon Kiat and Junyang. The film uses these relationships as its driving force, exploring how different generations experience love and navigate the constantly shifting landscape of dating. Boon Kiat and Bee Hwa are hesitant, keeping each other at arm’s length and allowing love to unfold naturally rather than forcing it. Junyang and Lydia, by contrast, are caught up in a youthful frenzy, sneaking around behind their parents’ backs and embracing a more romanticized vision of love. But when their baby arrives, and Junyang is thrust prematurely into adulthood, the film reveals how both relationships ultimately hinge on the same emotional foundations.
We undergo so much emotional development with these characters that, by the time “We Are All Strangers” concludes, it feels as though we truly know them. The narrative unfolds over several years, and its numerous subplots contribute to the slice-of-life quality that makes Chen’s film such a breezy, engaging watch. There is no rigid, linear storyline or clean three-act structure. Instead, the film presents a series of vignettes from these characters’ lives, gradually building a holistic portrait of how youth and adulthood differ yet remain inevitably cyclical.
Andi Lim’s performance as Boon Kiat is a clear standout within the ensemble. He perfectly captures the character’s youthful naivety while convincingly conveying the weight of responsibility pressing down on him. Boon Kiat does not fit neatly into any familiar archetype, which makes him feel all the more authentic within this naturalistic world. Real people are not constructed from tidy lines of dialogue, and Lim ensures that Boon Kiat never feels like a mere collection of scripted traits.
There are moments when “We Are All Strangers” strains under the weight of its loose narrative structure, asking for patience as certain plot threads do not immediately reveal their significance. At one point, there is an extended stretch in which Junyang simply delivers food to support his family. Yet even these quieter passages remain engaging, thanks to Chen’s sharp dialogue and the gorgeously saturated visuals of the Singapore skyline. Every scene serves a purpose, even if that purpose only becomes clear in hindsight.
Ultimately, “We Are All Strangers” is a relentless crowd-pleaser, buoyed by its humorous character dynamics and heartfelt subplots. That accessibility does not come at the expense of ambition. The intricate ways in which these lives intersect feel like the product of confident, assured writing, and the film trusts its audience enough to wander through seemingly incidental moments before bringing everything together. In doing so, it suggests that every experience, just as in life itself, unfolds for a reason.
