We Are All Strangers
This rich family drama set in Singapore’s glitzy high rises, vibrant market halls and crowded apartments drifts between dreams and tragedies.
Some films are as slowly meandering as life itself. The characters and locations feel close to you no matter how unfamiliar the setting might be. The storylines move gracefully towards something that feels like the reason why the film was made in the first place. Everything has a meaning and there is nothing forced or artificial about it. We Are All Strangers, written and directed by Anthony Chen, is one of those films.
The owner of a food stand in Singapore has developed a crush on a waitress. The owner’s son on the other hand has a crush on a girl from an upper class background with a catholic upbringing. Soon the couples get married, and because Singapore is so expensive, all four start living under the same roof.
A small boy is born. Living together is not easy, but the slow-paced scenes are mostly drama free. Life seems to always work out in the end. The camera captures the scenery of Singapore and the daily life of its people, while the storyline moves the lazy son of a hard-working father towards adulthood and the unlikely foursome towards mutual respect.
Everything ends exactly when and how it should, while the moving song “Father and Son” by Cat Stevens plays over the credits.
Jaana Semeri (translated by Johanna Järvinen)
Screenings
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Kino ReginaSat 19.9. at 15.50–18.27157 min, 1/4
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Maxim 1Mon 21.9. at 16.45–19.22157 min, 2/4
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Kino ReginaWed 23.9. at 17.30–20.07157 min, 3/4
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Kino Engel 2Sat 26.9. at 13.00–15.37157 min, 4/4
Trailer
