Singapore: The Perfect City or Dystopian Surveillance State?

In Singapore everything is under control. There are countless restrictive rules: chewing gum, smoking in the street, jaywalking, throwing paper on the ground, talking on the subway or even walking around naked are all forbidden. These rules are enforced by robot dogs, who patrol the streets guided by AI.

Censorship is almost universal. Political opponents are harassed by the courts. Sexual minorities are under surveillance. And drug use leads straight to prison, or even execution in some cases. After a pause during the global lockdown, hangings have resumed.

We followed the daily lives of Singaporeans, punctuated by ultra-modern technology and prohibitions. In schools, hospitals, markets and streets, video surveillance cameras are everywhere. We also met those who have endured the regime’s extreme severity: a former prisoner who spent twenty-five years behind bars for simple offenses, then sentenced to corporal punishment. Or pro-democracy activists who dream of greater freedom and end up in prison themselves.

Finally, we filmed a family whose father is awaiting execution on death row. His crime: having been in possession of thirty-five grams of heroin, where the law automatically sentences anyone in possession of more than fifteen grams to death.