"In Love we Trust" is a movie title with deep meaning

As often happens my favorite movies are unexpected.  "In Love we Trust" (2007) was a random pick off the library shelf as a time filler.  A Chinese movie with no recognizable participants.

The plot sounds inconceivable, but it is theoretically possible.  The key factor is to find a bone marrow match that best insures survival for a particular dying person.  Today around the world there are lots of people desperately looking for a match usually found with a close blood relative.  Xiaoshuai Wang wrote and directed this movie at a time, 2007 when the Chinese were mostly enforcing a one child policy.

That is a little background, but the movie starts innocently enough with a likely sales woman trying to interest a couple to lease an apartment, but not succeeding.  A little detail that plays a role later on.

We soon see a man holding his laughing daughter and running down a hallway with a woman (could be the sales woman) following closely behind.  We soon realize that they are a small family.  Shortly the young girl is taken for tests as she has a persistent fever.  The tests reveal the young girl has cancer.  A bone marrow transplant is suggested and the mother is tested, but not a good match.  We then realize the man we have been following is her second husband, and not the natural father but understand that he is deeply involved with the young girl.

The first husband is informed and shows a lot of concern although at first he is introduced to his daughter as an uncle.  Unfortunately he is not a match either.  The mother is frantic and somehow after talking to the doctors realizes the most practical solution is to have another baby with her first husband.

Four adults all have their concerns which the viewer is led gently to appreciate.  The mother and her second husband have a very good relationship, but he had hoped that somehow they could have their own baby.  The man has totally accepted her daughter as his.  The woman had been abandoned by her first husband who remarried after a divorce.  Although the viewer might not have much sympathy for the actual father, he wants to be honest with his new wife.  They both have very busy jobs as he is a construction manager with a difficult project and she is an airline stewardess.  At first his second wife doesn't accept the idea of him being a sperm donor to his first wife.  She does feel a bit guilty and with a friend goes to visit the first wife who is away.  She meets the daughter with the step father and is touched.  She consents, but pressures her husband that she wants a baby.

All set, but it gets a bit more complicated.  Two attempts fail and the doctors refuse to consider another.  We learn the mother has had an abortion and some miscarriages.  With the one child policy the rules have already been bent.  The mother who is still resentful of her first husband says the only option is for them to have sex the old fashioned way.

This creates an emotional crisis for the other three adults.  The two left out adults are afraid of the intimacy part, but also resentful that they also want to be natural parents.  The first husband is worried about his new wife.  Everyone tries to be honest about it, but it feels like they are pushing it a bit much and there is push-back.  I can't say the movie has a happy ending, but the tension is relieved enough that the audience is satisfied  Oh, the detail from the beginning comes back to play a role.

Although the plot may seem contrived the actors are all very believable.   They trust love to maintain their relationships and to save the young girl.  There is no explicit sex, but the emotional tension holds attention.

The Chinese have since eased the one child rule.  I had learned previously that although largely respected there were a number of exceptions allowed.  Rich people, rural areas, unusual circumstances.  Still a demographic problem that will factor for future generation. One effect has been there aren't enough women for the men, which does not advantage the women as much as you might think.  More women are forced into prostitution.  Unattached males tend to be more aggressive. It also means that most Chinese children do not have aunts, uncles, siblings or cousins all of whom would offer traditional support.

The woman who plays the mother Liu Weiwei is especially effective and won a best actress award at a film festival, although this was only her second movie.  She is still active in television.

Jin-yi Zhang who played the first husband has won a few awards in China.  Nan Yu who played the second wife has won a few international awards. Her role perhaps generated the least sympathy, but she made a big adjustment that allowed the plot to move forward.

Taishen Cheng was the only one of the four leads not to have an IMDB photo, but had the most international experience.  He had a role in "Biutiful" with Javier Bardem.  He also played in the Chinese Mandarin version of "The Devotion of Suspect X," based on one of the best detective books I have read. 

The key to this movie is Xiaoshuai Wang who wrote and directed it.  He should be credited with eliciting some effective portrayals of the four main characters. Back in 1996 he used an alias to make a film to circumvent restrictive rules against independent films.  In 2001 he wrote and directed "Beijing Bicycle," with some resemblance to the classic "The Bicycle Thief," but even more class focused.  In 2003 he did "Drifters" which was about a man who had illegally emigrated to the States and had returned.  In "11 Flowers" there is more than a hint of political tensions.  A more recent movie is "Red Amnesia. " Xiaoshuai has received awards from the Berlin Films Festival (for "In love we Trrust and "Beijing Bicycle." and at Cannes (for "Shanghai Dreams"). 

"In Love we Trust" was put together carefully that the audience can feel the tension.  Sparse, but appropriate mood music provided by Wei Dou who later won an award for "The Equation of Love and Death."

Cinematography was provided by Di Wu who had done two previous films with Xiaoshuai before this one and went onto work on "Red Amnesia."  He also contributed to the mood in some cases using filters.

Editing was done by Hongyu Yang who had earlier worked on "Beijing Bicycle."  He also worked on the Mandarin adaption on "Miss Granny," a favorite Korean movie that reminded me of my wife's Grandmother, Nanny

I will be on the look out for more films by Xiaoshuai Wang.  At this moment this movie has left the most impressive feeling of 2018.

Chinese Cinema is a peek into their culture

Many people seem to feel that China is taking over the world.  At one time they were indeed the most sophisticated culture in the world.  With their diaspora, the Chinese have spread much of their culture to most corners of the world and in one way or another seem likely to have a dominant economy and culture.  Chinese food, fireworks, martial arts, cheap goods and movies.  Although we think of the Chinese as monolithic there are many elements such as language that differentiate them.


When one talks of Chinese movies we should include Hong Kong (which although legally part of China has a distinct history) and Taiwan.  Cantonese and Mandarin are the two main languages you will encounter, but there are other languages and dialects.  Chinese directors, actors and others have performed in the rest of the world. 

One wonders if it is all just propaganda any more so than what we subject ourselves in front of screens already.  Any country wants to represent itself in a positive manner.  In watching a wide range of movies I was struck by two things.  The Chinese deal with the same issues and concerns of the rest of us such as love, war, cheating, grief, etc.  Secondly there are many elements of self examination to be found in their movies.  We can enjoy their movies for entertainment, but also learn something of their perspective.

Ang Lee seems a good place to start.   His family came to Taiwan fleeing the Maoists that killed off most of his father's family.  After graduating from local school came to America to study film making.  He was an assistant director for Spike Lee's master thesis.  For six years he was a stay at home parent supported by his wife.  Much of his fame rides on Hollywood films, but he did a number of Mandarin films.  "The Wedding Banquet"  in 1993 portrayed a Taiwanese homosexual man marrying to satisfy his traditional parents.   "Eat Drink, Man, Woman" of 1994 with one of the best food preparation sequences at the beginning is set in Taipei.  A DVD special feature gave a lot of personal history.  His fame was established with "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" starring Yun-fat Chow and Michelle Yeoh as a Mandarin martial arts film which became the highest grossing foreign film released in United States.  Another Mandarin language film was "Lust! Caution" (with Tony Chiu Wai Leung) which was sexually very explicit as Ang felt it was necessary for a desired dramatic effect.  World War II intrigue in China.

He has made a name for himself in Hollywood with such movies as "Sense and Sensibility", "Brokeback Mountain" and "Life of Pi".  He helped persuade Ann Hathaway to except a role as Jane Austen in another film.   Although probably best known as a director he has also written scripts and produced films.


Another well recognized Chinese film personality is Jackie Chan.  Born in Hong Kong, Jackie speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, English and English sign language.  He developed a reputation for martial arts, choreographing and doing his own stunts.  He has a very deft sense of humour that endears him to people like me who are not fond of martial arts.   He did his first American film in 1980, but his first blockbuster American success was "Rush Hour" in 1998.  He has done numerous martial art films in the Hong Kong Cantonese market. Read more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/09/jackie-chan.html

Another director who caught my attention was Wai-Keung Lau who in 2002 did "Infernal Affairs" a very interesting movie starring Tony Chiu Wai Leung and Andy Lau and was later adapted by Hollywood as "Departed" which won an Oscar.   "Beautiful Life" in  2011 was a beautiful love story.

John Woo, has had an impact in China and Hollywood.  After directing a few films he developed a niche in violent action films.  "The Killer'"with Yun-Fat Chow attracted Americans where he now makes most of his films.   John has been affected by the Tianemen Square massacre and was able to make a few references to it in his films.  One brutal film produced by John that I thought was excellent was "Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale" set in Taiwan concerning how the indigenous natives dealt with Japanese rulers before World War II.  In the U.S he directed "Face/Off", and "Windtalkers."  Recently he has been involved with "The Crossing" which tells a story of the exodus from China to Taiwan. which is something to look forward to.

Yun-Fat Chow is a Chinese actor with influence in China and Hollywood.  Known for action films such as "The Replacement Killers" he nonetheless starred in "Anna and the King" with Jodie Foster and "The Children of Huang Shi" and "Shanghai" with John Cusack and Li Gong,   "Confucius" made in 2011 seemed a good fit.  China has almost always had great respect for Confucius, but there was a time when the Communist regime tried to bury him.  Mai Hu, a woman director also wrote the script for this blockbuster movie.

"House of Flying Daggers" released in 2006 with Ziyi Zhang, Andy Lau and Takeshi  Kaneshiro and "Curse of the Golden Flower" directed by Yimou Zhang with Yun-Fat Chow  and Li Gong doing martial arts in a gravity defying artistic manner. Li Gong has also appeared in "Shanghai" and "Memoirs of a Geisha".

"Chungking Express" released in 1994 directed by Kar Wai Wong and starring Tony Chiu Wai Leung  and Takeshi Kaneshiro .  The cinematography was very unique.  You will recognize a popular American song, "California Dreaming" played repeatedly.

"Sophies Revenge" released in 2009 disappointed me a little, but ok.  Like everyone else the Chinese (at least some of them which means hundreds of millions) like romance and a few laughs.  Li Gong played lead character.  I am aware there are many more and reportedly better examples.

"Iron Road", televised in 2008 brought home the awareness that one of our most proud achievements (the national railroad) was accomplished on the backs of Chinese workers who were treated poorly.  Brought over Sun Li for the lead role and Tony Leung Ka Fai for a supporting role.


"Balzac and the Little Chinese seamstress"  released in 2002 deals with re-education in Maoist times.  Amongst those being re-educated, Western literature in translation is a strong lure for some people.

Dubbed films were tempting me as Chinese dialects unlike some European dialects have almost no resonance with me.  The cadence of each is distinctively different.  Subtitles, sometimes are confusing, but still give understanding and seem more natural.

China has been hit with criticisms for such as censorship, political repression, currency manipulations, worker exploitation.  Any culture is subject to criticism and it seems developing into a world power requires some dirty tricks.  I hope that as China matures we can all benefit from the many good things that have come from them.

In the end whether we like it or not the Chinese are likely to have even more impact on our lives.  Reading books and watching movies are two ways to boost your understanding.  For me there are a few more Chinese films on my reserve list I look forward to, but at some point this blog needs to be finished (and read).

A Chinese movie made it to my favorite movies for 2018  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/08/in-love-we-trust-is-movie-title-with.html 

An update of Taiwanese cinema:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/08/taiwan.html