Mumu

One might think “they should’ve done better”, there was a lot of miscommunication, unironically being deaf and mute isn’t just about the ability to hear and talk

The world is big, and people are privileged in health, education, love and family
But others aren’t, having something that becomes a burden a drawback, people with “disabilities” can lose their footing in life
Xiaoma felt unseen and unheard, so mumu was his everything especially after his wife left them and found another family
He was flawed because he was never given the same benefits as others
Just like how Xiao Jing felt unseen between her husband and daughter
Starting a family is a huge privilege and responsibility
It was like this in twinkling watermelon too, parents relay too much on their kids, they lose sight of their own behavior and it becomes a burden to those around them


This was really sad and heartwarming

I do have a problem with this tho
idk if the insurance scams happen that widely so that part felt a bit underwhelming with some of the conflicts
The bad guys purposely used “disadvantaged” people so I get them lying to him, tho his friend should've warned him
The friend wanted easy money and he had no guilt but xiaoma had too much to lose and no one to guide him, then he got caught up in the thrill of being able to make money for his kid, he lost sight of the most important thing, she was happy with him no matter what


I kinda assumed he was falsely accused for theft or something before starting this

The little girl was too precious ;( I also liked how they used real deaf people it made the movie feel more real and normal

And ofc my zhang yixing did such a great job, he’s neither a dad or deaf, but he learned sign language and used it even after this movie, and he was such a loving protective dad ;) he was so disheveled and raw and so emotionally expressive ;(

I do think most of the conflict would’ve been avoided if his ex talked to him instead of that aunt, She could’ve easily told him she wasn’t gonna take him to court

but it was also important to show how ppl easily take advantage and fool disadvantaged people
And honestly being poor is also a disadvantage in life, he had no connections to help, he got fooled by everyone and dragged in too deep

If amei didn’t talk, he’d have been falsely accused for life, tho I also think again his friend should’ve also backed her up


I also liked the aesthetics, the blue was like sadness and not belonging while they shined yellow to highlight how they were each others happiness
Idk shouldn’t he also get less time for “good behavior”? Honestly I was scared they’d kill him in prison
So I kinda wish they showed him in the future, it’s sad to think his daughter stayed in Netherlands(?) until she graduated college to come back home, so he didn’t see her for 15 years? I’d also assume he’d always be there when she got off work cuz he’d want to be around her all the time
So I felt that was a shame, both the long separation and not showing him in her future
The wife tbh stayed selfish, going to another country was beneficial for mumu but just like how she selfishly took herself out of mumu’s life, she continued to force mumu to be without her dad ;(

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Some films win us over slowly, quietly weaving their way into our hearts and MuMu does exactly that. While many movies explore the bond between parents and children, none have portrayed a father's love for his daughter with such mastery and tenderness.

Xiao Ma (played by Lay Zhang) is a skilled man with a hearing impairment who lives with his daughter, MuMu (Li Luo An). Despite his ability to fix almost anything, he struggles to maintain a stable job that accommodates his condition. Yet, he does everything within his power to raise his daughter with love and dignity. Their modest world may be small, but it is full. The sudden reappearance of MuMu’s mother, Xiao Jing, sets off a chain of events that alters MuMu’s fate.

I couldn’t feel any sympathy for Xiao Jing. She accuses Xiao Ma of being selfish, yet never once tries to listen to MuMu, rebuild a relationship with the daughter she abandoned years ago, or understand the deep bond between father and child.

Xiao Ma is a devoted father who fights to give MuMu a life filled with joy, stability, and respect. But the film goes beyond their story. With a creative narrative and well-crafted conflicts, MuMu invites us to reflect deeply on the realities faced by people with disabilities and the families who live on the margins of society, especially in terms of communication, inclusion, and emotional connection. It shows how lack of accessibility and understanding can isolate, but also how love can break through those barriers.

Lay Zhang delivers a powerful performance as Xiao Ma, portraying a complex character who transcends his disability and commands every scene with authenticity and grace. His portrayal is natural, heartfelt, and deeply moving. Yet it’s Li Luo An who steals the show as MuMu, a bright, empathetic child, wise beyond her years. The chemistry between them is the soul of the film.

MuMu is a magical, touching, and profoundly captivating film. Genuine love flows from the heart, and true communication doesn’t always need words.

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How to be a bad parent - simple guide.

The way all the adults in this movie were truly awful and selfish - I failed to feel touched by any scenes, I was just fueled with frustration. No, I did not get out of this movie with a thought how vulnerable deaf people are in society and how they need assistance (which alone is honestly borderline offensive), but rather - deaf people can be selfish and dumb too.

By all means Xiao Ma was a victim of his own demise. How many times can a person make the same extremely bad choice before we can stop feeling bad for them and accept they failed themselves? It's one thing when you once get scammed after trusting wrong people. But to willingly do it over and over again, put yourself and your child in dangers? Wild. He was just a bad parent. Not one choice he made was done for his daughter, but for his own selfish need to keep her next to him, not caring if it's beneficial for her or not.

The mother is not better. I do not care what was decided when the child was born - yeeting yourself out of their existence to randomly come back is never right. The way she did not try to slowly build a relationship with her daughter, gain her trust. Poor Mu Mu was forced into extremely bad situation by both of her parents.

This movie left me with exactly zero positive emotions and thoughts. Every new development made me more angry.

That said, one thing Mumu delivers is the acting. What a performance from both Lay and Li Luo An. I am not going to pretend like I know sign language, but just from a visual standpoint, they characters did feel natural and fluent while using it - it never felt awkward. the emotions felt real and raw. If only the plot was better and the characters sucked less, I would probably cry alone just because of the emotional performances.

Visually speaking also no complains. It's not outstanding, I cannot think of any memorable scene in terms of shots and aesthetics, but I also cannot think of any bad aspect in that area of production. Directing and editing wise, I truly loved the "fighting, but pretending to party" scene in the beginning of the movie. It was adorable and it made me smile a little bit.

Overall, I'm just disappointed. The whole movie gives you the idea that deaf people are inherently a victims to be made, naive and vulnerable and they need protection and support. when the true fact is majority of the issues male lead faced had nothing to do with him being deaf, but with him being dumb and selfish.

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When xio ma finally hears

I just finished watching the movie today and i absolutely loved it. Every scene from the movie touched my heart at a level i hoped that it would. Especially the scene where mumu parts from the mahjong family while all of them waved her tearful goodbyes. The story very accurately depicts the life of the deaf community in the society where they almost feel paralyzed due to people's inability to understand them. The sad part of the movie is just how much a hearing impaired individual has to rely on external help to survive in day to day life that we live in a blink of an eye without any problems.
Lay did an amazing job at acting out the father role oozing with pure and innocent love for his daughter wanting to give his all to her. The naive want of making his daughter stay by hiring top class lawyers without any money to give and the problems in getting a normal job to fulfill basic wants and requirememts of his life was sad yet very understandable.

All in all, the whole movie was absolutely beautiful and a must watch for people who might want to watch something with a deep topic and heart-touching story.

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just give it a try

i might be writing complete nonsense since i'm still with tears in my eyes rn, but, i can't lie to myself, this movie is wonderful. probably one of my favorites that i've seen this year.

lay's acting was flawless, and the child actress had me bawling since the very beginning. she was the highlight of this whole thing, and she made the movie shine. i can see a great future in her career.

tbh my opinion might be biased since i've been working with deaf and hearing impaired people this past months, but i believe that this movie portrayed in such a helpless yet (to some extent) realistic way how difficult life can be just be being different. it's just that we, hearing people, take a lot of things for granted. this puts you in a different perspective.

and, yep, you might get frustrated by the way the xiao ma acts at some point, the (ironic) lack of communication and many other things, but the whole point of this movie isn't for us to feel bad, or suddenly want to change the world overnight. i believe that the point was to make us know that despite everything we can always learn from our past and be better. at least that's what i got from it.

now, the music and the way they played with the background noises was on point. there wasn't a lot for obvious reasons, but whenever they played with it, it was great. on the other hand lay and mumu's actress were amazing, giving such depth and realism to their characters in a way that truly makes you want to root for them. and, well, even with some incongruences in the plot, it's a very enjoyable film.

but, one again, i'm biased right now. however, i think it's a very good watch. really worth it :-)

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