HBO’s Invisible Stories on life in Singapore’s public housing shows the city beneath the glitter

Far from the excessive wealth of Singapore’s crazy rich citizens, Invisible Stories shines a light on the lives of how most people in the Lion City live

Series creator Ler Jiyuan says it is neither very dramatic nor sensational, with each episode a character study that brings out the life of ordinary people

Reading Time:4 minutes

HBO’s Invisible Stories cast and crew (from left) producer Ler Jiyuan, actress Yeo Yann Yann and actor Devin Pan.

Published: 9:15am, 14 Jul 2019Updated: 7:15pm, 14 Jul 2019

It seems not all Singaporeans are crazy rich Asians. There are some that don’t shop at Marina Bay Sands. Most do not live in Peranakan mansions.

After the guilty pleasure of seeing such excessive wealth and ostentatious living in the 2018 film of Kevin Kwan’s novel, there seems to be a desire to see Asians represented more modestly and realistically.

The recent Ali Wong/Russell Park romcom for Netflix, Always Be My Maybe, featured two down-to-earth Asian-Americans rekindling a teenage fling. Canada’s CBC Television, meanwhile, scored a global sitcom hit with Kim’s Convenience, about a Korean immigrant family operating a corner grocer.

Now, Singapore’s own government-run Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) is partnering with HBO Asia on a series called Invisible Stories that peels back Singapore’s glitter to shine a light on the housing estates where most of the city state’s population live.

A public housing block in Singapore. Photo: Alamy

The six-part HBO Originals programme will take place in HDB (Housing & Development Board) public housing blocks. They are places series creator Ler Jiyuan knows very well. He is one of Singapore’s best new directors and a proud resident of one such government-subsidised apartment.

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