We Are All Strangers (2026)★ 7.4/10

We Are All Strangers: The Joys and Sorrows of an Ordinary Singaporean Family and the Ups and Downs of Life
On February 19, 2026, I watched the Singaporean film We Are All Strangers(《我们不是陌生人》), which was screened at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival. This film, which tells the joys and sorrows of an ordinary Singaporean family, is sincere in emotion and rich in detail, and it moved me deeply. Therefore, I write this brief review to share my reflections.
The film takes as its main thread the stories of two couples. The middle-aged couple Boon Kiat and Bee Hwa, played by Andi Lim and Yeo Yann Yann, and the young lovers Junyang and Lydia, played by Koh Jia Ler and Regene Lim, both enter into marriage amid twists and turns. Yet before and after marriage, they are troubled by livelihood pressures, and their relationships evolve from simplicity to complexity, unfolding a dramatic tragicomedy of life’s ups and downs.
Family affection and romantic love are the most prominent themes of the film. Boon Kiat and Junyang are a father and son who depend on each other for survival. Like many teenagers, Junyang is rebellious, yet his father is always willing to tolerate and embrace him. When Junyang and his girlfriend “get into trouble” with an unexpected pregnancy and the girl’s family comes to their door, the financially strained Boon Kiat would rather borrow from loan sharks than allow his son’s wedding to be anything less than respectable.
Boon Kiat and Bee Hwa, this middle-aged couple, move from mutual affection to becoming husband and wife, experiencing the awkwardness of youth, the restraint of adulthood, and the mutual understanding and tolerance of an old married pair. From their marriage to Boon Kiat’s death, less than two years pass, yet their bond is deeply devoted, vividly illustrating the sentiment that even a short-lived marriage can carry affection as deep as the sea.
Junyang and Lydia’s romance and marriage, however, move from “dry tinder meeting flame” to gradual dullness, from throwing themselves into love without hesitation to passion fading away while livelihood worries become unavoidable. From carefree youth untouched by sorrow to words held back, even to facing each other in silence, with only tears streaming down. Yet as passion recedes and troubles multiply, the relationship, tested by hardship, becomes deeper and more layered. This is also the transformation many people experience from adolescence to adulthood, from young lovers to husband and wife.
An even more pivotal relationship is the familial bond between Junyang and Bee Hwa. The rebellious Junyang dislikes and looks down upon Bee Hwa, this “stepmother” who came from the background of a hostess, and he often offends her with his words. But after Boon Kiat falls ill and passes away, Bee Hwa manages the household, sells goods with forced smiles, and later takes responsibility for selling fake medicine on Junyang’s behalf and goes to prison. Only then does Junyang painfully realize that he has lost such a good mother. Bee Hwa is usually sharp-tongued and free-spirited, but in major matters she shows real courage and responsibility. Although Junyang is not her biological son, she loves him as her own—not merely out of a sense of elder responsibility, but as a mother’s love for her child, willing to take the blame and be imprisoned for him.
Such stories of family affection and romantic love are indeed not especially novel, yet I was still deeply moved. In particular, Yeo Yann Yann’s superb acting brings Bee Hwa, a mature and resilient woman, vividly to life. The personal experiences and family backgrounds of the characters also resonated strongly with me, as someone with similar experiences and circumstances, and I found myself in tears at the unfolding of the story.
The film also vividly presents many distinctive features and details of Singapore:
although prosperous and affluent, there are still many who struggle to make a living, selling not only their labor but also their dignity;
The HDB flats (组屋,public housing) that provide shelter for ordinary people;
The hawker centres(食阁) that offer affordable food and are filled with everyday bustle;
The dual nature of neighborly and workplace relationships in public housing estates and hawker centres, where gossip and competition coexist with mutual help and warmth;
The widespread Christian faith and religious wedding ceremonies;
The “A-Level”examinations that place enormous pressure on many Singaporean students and parents;
The demanding, monotonous, and often stifling military service that most Singaporean men are required to undergo;
Those on the margins of society struggling to survive, who may fall into vicious cycles with a single misstep;
Discrimination and distance from the upper class toward ordinary people;
Wealthy Chinese visitors who come to Singapore for enjoyment, spending lavishly while lacking integrity;
The frightening violence of local Ah Long(大耳窿) loan sharks in de