Anthony Chen’s Growing Up trilogy has become one of the most interesting coming-of-age projects in contemporary Asian cinema. Beginning with Ilo Ilo and continuing through Wet Season, and now concluding with We Are All Strangers, the series traces not only individual lives but also the shifting emotional landscape of Singapore itself. As the opening film of the 28th Far East Film Festival in Udine, the latest chapter continues Chen’s depiction of intimate, ordinary lives under economic pressure, family tension, and emotional distance, all conveyed through his well-known naturalistic style.

At the centre of the trilogy is Chen’s long collaboration with actress Yeo Yann Yann, whose performances across all three films give the story its emotional strength. Alongside Koh Jia Ler, he also returns in this final instalment. During our interview at FEFF, Chen and Yeo reflected on closing this long-form trilogy, while also discussing how their creative partnership has evolved over more than a decade. The film’s opening night in Udine showed how far Chen has come since his breakthrough with Ilo Ilo, a debut that already established Yeo as a distinctive presence in his work.

For audiences in Europe, the trilogy’s final chapter continues to connect strongly, even as Chen’s subtle, understated storytelling sometimes divides viewers in Asia – likely because of its unflinching portrayal of immigrant life and youth. For many, however, it remains a finely crafted piece of writing.

View of the Arts: We Are All Strangers feels like a thematic continuation of Ilo Ilo and Wet Season. At what point did you realise you were creating a kind of informal “growing up” trilogy, and what connects these films beyond setting?

Anthony Chen: I think I realised it after finishing the second film. I had already worked with the same two actors over many years, filming the boy when he was 11 and then again at 17. At some point, it felt natural to continue following his journey into adulthood. In a way, it feels like fate brought us together. It’s quite rare for life and cinema to intersect like this, but over 14 years, our paths have stayed connected. All three films are about what I would call “constructed families.” In Ilo Ilo, it’s the relationship between a boy and a domestic helper. In Wet Season, it’s a teacher and a student who become deeply entangled in her life. And in this film, it’s about two couples who are, in a sense, forced into becoming a family.

That idea of family runs through the films on screen, but off-screen as well. The actors and collaborators I’ve worked with over the years have also become a kind of family. We’ve shared a lot of hopes, fears, and experiences throughout this long process.

VOA: The film balances intimate family drama with a broader socio-economic portrait of Singapore. How did you approach combining these personal stories with larger social themes?

Anthony Chen: I always begin with the characters. Some filmmakers start with a theme or a social issue they want to explore, but I don’t work that way. For me, everything starts with understanding the people in the story. I spend a lot of time building their backgrounds, even if those details don’t appear directly in the film. I think about where they come from, their social class, their family situation, their personal history—everything. Once you understand the individual, you can start to build their relationships: within the family, at work, and at school.

It’s like layers of an onion. You move from the individual to their immediate relationships, then to the wider environment they exist in. When all these layers come together, you begin to see a larger picture of society. The social issues and themes emerge naturally from that process, rather than being imposed from the start. I’m very attentive to detail because small things say a lot about how someone dresses, what kind of bag they carry, even whether it’s real or fake. The same goes for something like a watch. These details reflect a person’s status and background, and through them, you start to understand the world they live in.

VOA: Bee Hwa is presented as one of the most complex characters in the film, with a past that is only partially revealed. How did you approach building her backstory before performing the role?

Yeo Yann Yann: Bee Hwa is someone who left her home and spent about 30 years living and working in another country. When I thought about her, I felt that in many ways I am luckier than she is. People like her often carry a strong need to succeed, especially when they move abroad, but that idea of “success” can become quite heavy over time. What struck me about Bee Hwa is how real that struggle feels. She is always chasing something, some sense of achievement or validation, but it comes at a cost. At times, I felt a deep sadness for her, because that constant pressure can be very painful.

When building her character, it wasn’t about conventionally creating a detailed backstory, but more about understanding her emotionally and learning to empathise with her. She is incredibly strong, but that strength also comes with vulnerability. For me, the key was to connect with her humanity and carry that into the performance.

VOA: You’ve worked together for many years across several projects. How has your creative relationship evolved over time?

Anthony Chen: Our collaboration actually goes back nearly 20 years. We first worked together in 2006 on a short film, which was selected at Cannes in 2007 and even won a prize. Since then, we’ve really grown alongside each other. When I started out, I relied heavily on instinct. I had a strong sense of what I wanted, but I wasn’t always able to communicate that clearly to actors. Over time, my craft developed not just in directing, but in how I work with people. I’ve learned to let go more, to trust the process and the collaboration.

Yeo Yann Yann: Our relationship has also become very personal. It goes beyond just working together on films. We know each other’s families, and our lives have become intertwined in many ways.

Some moments really reflect that closeness—for example, Yann Yann was pregnant when we were filming our first film. When she gave birth, I filmed it, and we used that in the film. I even saw the birth before her husband. [laughs]

Yeo Yann Yann: That kind of connection is very rare.

VOA: I want to talk about Junyang; he was a very interesting character. In some ways, he reflects anxieties around youth. Were you aiming to critique a specific generational mindset, or do you see him more as a product of a wider system?

Anthony Chen: I think it’s a combination of both, and I’ll be very honest, the character was largely inspired by the actor himself. We had already worked together on two films, and when we wrapped the second one, he had just turned 17. He told me he wanted to drop out of school. In Singapore, that is quite unusual. The system is very focused on academic success – good grades, qualifications, stable jobs, financial security, and supporting your family. So when he said that, I was quite shocked and asked him what he planned to do with his life.

He wasn’t doing very well in school academically – he had failed several subjects – but he was clearly more interested in other things. He wasn’t saying this to his parents directly; instead, he asked me to help persuade them. That situation made me think deeply about him and his future. I started imagining what would happen if a young man like him were pushed into the adult world early, having to survive on his own. That became the starting point for the character: someone slightly naive, free-spirited, sometimes irresponsible, but forced to grow up quickly in a difficult environment.

Interestingly, many of the things I wrote for the character later happened in his real life. He became a food delivery rider, worked as a driver delivering packages, spent time working in a bar, and later even tried live-stream selling phone accessories. So in a way, life started to mirror the story.

When we were filming, he was very natural in the delivery scenes because he had actually done that work before. That blurred line between fiction and reality became very important in shaping the film.

At the same time, I’m careful not to position myself as someone from an older generation judging younger people. I don’t see it that way. But I do observe the pressures they face today, especially with social media, where many young people feel they can become influencers or creators very quickly. There is this sense that success is easily accessible, and that also shaped how I approached the character.

Written and interviewed by Sanja Struna

Feature image © 2026 View of the Arts / Sanja Struna

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