Love Will Tear Us Apart

Mo Sha's 2021 Chinese film follows a couple who made a promise in secondary school trying to stay together across ten years. Lü studies construction engineering and tries to find work in the big city; Ling waits. The obstacle is not emotional but economic: rent, salary and what their families expect. What stands out is tying the romance directly to house prices: love is enough and yet not enough, which is why the film resonated widely in China. The story slides into melodrama and the emotional steering is heavy. The rapport between Qu Chuxiao and Zhang Jingyi works. The ending lands somewhere heavy for a commercial release and caused argument. Who it's for: viewers interested in Chinese romantic drama and questions of generation. Who it's not for: anyone put off by emotional steering, or wanting a happy ending.