A First Look At Anthony Chen’s We Are All Strangers
The third and final film that concludes the universe of Anthony Chen’s award-winning 2013 film, Ilo Ilo, releases islandwide on August 20, 2026. Here’s a look at this highly anticipated movie’s trailer.
Following its world premiere at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival (a first for a Singapore film), award-winning Singaporean director Anthony Chen returns with the final installment of his ‘Growing Up’ film trilogy: We Are All Strangers. Slated to premiere in Singapore on August 20, 2026, aptly during National Day month, this film is Chen’s final poignant exploration of life in Singapore — 13 years after its inaugural film, Ilo Ilo.
We Are All Strangers continues to put a lens on the resilience of an ordinary Singaporean family. On Chen’s continued interest in the theme of family, he says: “Ultimately, I am drawn to the family because it is where our most profound human dramas — of loyalty, disappointment, resilience and silent love — are lived in everyday gestures.”
Continuing to collaborate with some of the trilogy’s original cast (Yeo Yann Yann and Koh Jia Ler), the film also introduces new members: Regene Lim and Andi Lim.
What is We Are All Strangers about? A synopsis:
In contemporary Singapore, a father-son duo faces challenges related to love, loss and responsibility and redefine what family means as they learn to live with the imperfect bonds of inherited and chosen families.
21-year-old Junyang (played by Koh Jia Ler) is suddenly thrust before the realities of adulthood when his relationship with his girlfriend takes an unexpected and life-changing turn. Simultaneously, as his father Boon Kiat (played by Andi Lim) struggles to hold their modest life together, a woman enters his life and heart, reshaping the balance and relationship between father and son.
Watch the trailer for We Are All Strangers here:
What is the ‘Growing Up’ trilogy about?
The trilogy consists of three films: Ilo Ilo, released in 2013, Wet Season, released in 2019, and We Are All Strangers, releasing in 2026. Each film is an independent story about ordinary Singapore life with common thematic threads of family and class.
Where can you watch We Are All Strangers in Singapore?
Screening details will be revealed at a later date. Watch this space for more updates to come.