I always make it a point to catch screenings of Singapore films at the film festivals here, so I was really glad I managed to get a ticket for this (it was sold out and I only managed to get a ticket thanks to my press pass)!
Stranger Eyes (directed by Singaporean filmmaker Yeo Siew Hua) follows a young couple who, in the midst of trying to find their missing baby, receives strange videos and realises that someone has been filming their daily life…
[WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD]
The film begins in a vlog style, where we see a young couple with their baby, filmed by the baby’s grandmother. We soon learn that it’s the mother, Peiying (played by Anicca Panna) watching and rewatching these videos, in hopes of finding clues on what happened to their baby who went missing, and who could have possibly taken her.
We see the baby’s grandmother giving out flyers to passers-by, asking for their help, only to be rejected by a mother with a pram who seems to blame them for the fact people aren’t bringing their kids out to play anymore due to safety concerns? Strange reaction but okay.
But the next scene is even stranger because the baby’s father Junyang (played by Wu Chien Ho) follows this random mum to the mall and at one point even took the baby out of the pram and carried her. What even is going on?!
Cut to the next scene, Peiying is watching more videos, but this time it seems to be taken by someone else. And it’s footage of Junyang following that mum around… So someone left a DVD with these videos at their door, and I was quite confused by how calm the couple was behaving in light of this information that someone has been watching them AND recording their daily lives… I can’t remember at which point they decided to call the police. I think it was when Junyang’s mother came home and asked them what they were watching?
Anyway, the police, who’s already investigating their missing daughter’s case, are now also helping the family to find out who is leaving these DVDs at their door. Which they find out quite quickly because all they needed was a CCTV camera in front of the house. Just as they show us the culprit behind these videos, the perspective of the movie changes and we begin following this stalker instead.
It was a really nice transition of perspectives, and I really appreciated the character development of not just the “good people” or “victims” that some films tend to focus on. Everyone has a story, and sometimes we judge too quickly. But as we begin to see the stalker (played by Lee Kang Sheng)’s life, we can’t help but feel empathy for him. At one point, I was getting quite annoyed with Junyang’s behaviour because he was being a really irresponsible father.
The whole film was tied up very nicely with a plot-twist ending that explained the stalker’s tendencies and why he recorded the young couple in the first place, at least that was what I felt after watching the film. At the end of the day, nobody is completely clean and without fault. As the policeman in the film mentioned – “When you watch someone long enough, even if they aren’t a criminal, they will become one.” Perhaps it’s because we never watch another person objectively, but from the lens of our own biases, and if you really wanted to find fault in someone else, you definitely can.
This topic of voyeurism is a recurring theme in many films, but I personally enjoyed the way it was done in Stranger Eyes. Maybe it’s because of the familiarity of the Singapore places and Singaporean society, or maybe it’s the perspective change that gave the different characters a chance to “explain their stories,” or maybe it’s the fact that the film didn’t end up condemning anyone as a criminal.
We are too quick to judge others sometimes and this film definitely reminded me of that. Perhaps it’s time to reflect on our biases and prejudices.
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This film was screened at the 2025 Jeonju International Film Festival.
