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 ;(

Read More

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.

Read More