In Love We Trust

In Love We Trust (Chinese: 左右; pinyin: Zuǒ yòu; lit. 'left', 'right') is a 2008 Chinese drama film directed by Wang Xiaoshuai and starring Liu Weiwei, Zhang Jiayi, Cheng Taisheng, and Yu Nan. It is alternatively named known by its literal English translation, Left Right.

Originally set to premiere at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and then at the 64th Venice International Film Festival the same year, the film eventually missed both, ultimately premiering at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival in 2008. The film was picked up for international distribution by the Paris-based company Films Distribution.

In Love We Trust tells the story of Mei Zhu and Xiao Lu, a divorced couple living in contemporary Beijing, whose lives are upended when their young daughter, Hehe, is diagnosed with Leukemia The doctors inform them that Hehe’s only chance of survival lies in a Stem cell transplant from the umbilical cord of a sibling. This revelation forces Mei Zhu and Xiao Lu to confront a morally and emotionally complex decision: to conceive another child together, despite both having remarried and established new lives with their respective spouses.

Mei Zhu is now married to Xie Huaicai, a compassionate and understanding man who struggles to reconcile his love and support for Mei Zhu with the emotional strain of the situation. He finds himself caught between his desire to help save Hehe and his discomfort with the idea of Mei Zhu reconnecting with her ex-husband in such an intimate and consequential way. Xiao Lu, meanwhile, is married to Dong Fan, a younger, career-oriented woman who initially opposes the idea of her husband fathering a child with his former wife. Her feelings of insecurity and betrayal add another layer of tension to an already delicate situation.

The film explores the emotional and psychological toll this decision takes on all parties involved. Mei Zhu and Xiao Lu must navigate the complexities of their past relationship while working together for the sake of their daughter. Their respective spouses, Xie Huaicai and Dong Fan, are forced to confront their own fears, doubts, and feelings of inadequacy as they grapple with the unconventional arrangement. The situation also brings unresolved issues from Mei Zhu and Xiao Lu’s previous marriage to the surface, further complicating their interactions.

• Liu Weiwei as Mei Zhu, the mother
• Zhang Jiayi as Xiao Lu, the Father
• Cheng Taisheng as Xie Huaicai, Mei Zhu's second husband, the stepfather
• Yu Nan as Dong Fan, Xiao Lu's second wife, the stepmother
• Zhang Chuqian as Hehe, the daughter
• Gao Yuanyuan as school teacher

In Love We Trust was originally scheduled for a release in the 2007 Cannes Film Festival along with actor-director's Jiang Wen's The Sun Also Rises. Ultimately both films failed to make the festival. Sources stated that In Love We Trust was officially delayed due to bureaucratic red tape, as it awaited examination by the Chinese Film Bureau.^[1]

The film missed another opportunity to premiere at a major international film festival when it failed to debut at the 64th Venice International Film Festival in August 2007. This time, the reason for dropping out was not bureaucratic, but rather due to the fact that post-production editing had not yet been completed.^[2]

In late 2007, it was announced that In Love We Trust would premiere at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival in 2008 where it would compete for the Golden Bear.^[3] The film would ultimately go on to win the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay in Berlin, with the Golden Bear going to the Brazilian film Tropa de Elite.^[4]

• In Love We Trust at IMDb
• In Love We Trust at the Chinese Movie Database
• In Love We Trust from distributor Films Distribution
• In Love We Trust at Rotten Tomatoes