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4\/5 stars<\/strong><\/p>\n Following his lacklustre English-language debut Drift<\/em> (2023) starring Cynthia Erivo, filmmaker Anthony Chen returns to Singapore for the sprawling, surprising and spot on drama, We Are All Strangers<\/em>.<\/p>\n Fatherhood lies at the core of the new story, as widowed noodle shop owner Boon Kiat (Andi Lim) struggles to connect with his idle 21-year-old son Junyang (Koh Jia Ler). A school dropout, Junyang justifies his laziness by joking that the world\u2019s biggest billionaires also left education early. He even nicknames himself \u201cSteve\u201d (after the Apple founder) during a brief stint in real estate \u2013 a job he quickly sabotages.<\/p>\n If Junyang represents a generation desperate for quick riches, his father is the solid, down-to-earth counterweight \u2013 a man who has not raised his prices in 10 years. \u201cIn life, it\u2019s better to be grounded than to have empty, lofty dreams,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n But he is still willing, at great risk, to pay for his son\u2019s wedding, when he falls for a girl whose snooty mother immediately disapproves:<\/strong> \u201cHow can you trust a boy you met at a BTS concert?\u201d she asks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nPlaying in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival, it completes Chen\u2019s \u201cGrowing Up\u201d trilogy that began with his debut, Ilo Ilo<\/em><\/span> (2013), which won the Cam\u00e9ra d\u2019Or award at that year\u2019s Cannes, and continued with Wet Season<\/em><\/span> (2019) \u2013 a trio of films that, he has stated, reflects his evolution as a son, husband and now father.<\/div>\n