This Monday, we will take a journey to Shanghai in the late 1980s, where we meet Liu, a Taiwanese man returning to the city after nearly 40 years, and Yu’e, the woman he once loved.
Back in the 1940s, they were young lovers. As the Communists took control of mainland China and the defeated Nationalists fled to Taiwan, Liu managed to leave, but Yu’e was left behind, pregnant with their child. Separated by the political divide that closed the mainland off from Taiwan for decades, they finally have a chance to meet again in the late 1980s.
But Yu’e is now married with children, and Liu is determined to gain her family’s approval to take her back to Taiwan with him.

History, lost love, and family come together around the dinner table, and as they spend time together, things begin to move in an unexpected direction.

👴👵❤️🍽️👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Apart Together (2010) 🇨🇳🇹🇼

❤️ WHAT I LOOOOOVE about this film is how it turns a historical separation into such a unique and deeply human love story. Two lovers finally reunite, but they don’t meet again as the young couple, but they meet as elderly people in their 70s with completely different lives, surrounded by family! And not to mention that Yu’e is still living with her husband, turning the situation into a very unusual love triangle, creating this wonderfully awkward and emotionally tense situation where old love, family bonds, and conflicting intentions all come together!
This highly unique love story is inspired by an actual event!❤️‍🔥

And through it all, we get transported to old Shanghai with them, surrounded by Chinese culture: beautiful old Shanghai houses, local markets, and big family dinners!

🏆 At the Berlin International Film Festival, the film competed for the Golden Bear and won Best Screenplay. The award-winning writing shines especially in the dinner-table scenes, where seemingly ordinary conversations become quietly fascinating negotiations.

This is an amazing film where history, culture, and lost love all come together. Do not miss this hidden Chinese gem and the emotional journey into beautiful old Shanghai!