Anthony Chen’s We Are All Strangers moves audience to tears at Berlin Film Festival world premiere

SINGAPORE – Local film-maker Anthony Chen’s We Are All Strangers made its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on Feb 16 to positive reviews from international press and tears from audience members.

The drama, the first Singaporean film to be

selected to compete for the top prize of the Golden Bear

at the festival, was screened at the Berlinale Palast in the German city.

Before the screening, there was a press conference and a red-carpet event, attended by writer, director and producer Chen, with actors Yeo Yann Yann, Koh Jia Ler, Andi Lim and Regene Lim and several members of the crew. Also in attendance were co-producer Huang Wenhong and executive producer Arthur Wang.

According to a press statement from Chen’s production company Giraffe Pictures, the 1,600-strong audience gave a “rapturous ovation” when the credits rolled, with many said to be in tears.

The festival, also known as the Berlinale, runs from Feb 12 to 22, with the results of the Golden Bear competition to be announced on Feb 21.

We Are All Strangers is the third and final film in Chen’s Growing Up trilogy of dramas. It began with Ilo Ilo (2013), winner of the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, followed by Wet Season (2019), winner of the Best Actress prize for Singapore-based Malaysian actress Yeo at the 2019 Golden Horse Awards.

The new film is expected to be released in Singapore in August 2026.

Ilo Ilo and Wet Season featured Yeo and local actor Koh in leading roles, as does We Are All Strangers, which takes place in present-day Singapore.

It follows Junyang (Koh), a young man whose life takes a complicated turn, forcing his girlfriend (Singaporean actress Regene Lim) and him to confront an upsetting new reality. Junyang has to deal with a new woman (Yeo) entering the life of his father (Singapore-based Malaysian actor Andi Lim).

American trade publication Variety called it a mature and ambitious work that is “consistently involving and finally moving”, while The Hollywood Reporter praised the “hypnotic conclusion” to the Growing Up trilogy.

Chen, speaking to The Straits Times from Berlin, said the response to the film exceeded his expectations.

“I was hoping the audience would connect on an emotional level, but I had no idea there would be so many viewers in tears. People were genuinely moved and someone told me she had to pass a packet of tissues to a German man who couldn’t stop crying.”

He adds: “It means so much to me and the actors to know the film has really landed with the audience. After all, the Berlinale is the biggest public-facing festival in the world. Yeo Yann Yann, in particular, is having a real moment.”