FROM LEFT: Kind step father played by Taisheng Chen, Lan Wei Wei, and child actress Chuqian Zhang

It happens to everyone at one time or another, your cell phone inadvertently calls someone you don’t intend. In Mei Zhu’s case it’s even worse, she is not able to use the keypad lock feature and her husband usually gets a call. This time however, it could mean the end of her marriage as he overhears a conversation she meant to keep secret.

“In Love We Trust” or “Zuo You” is a film about a mother’s struggle in dealing with the illness of her young daughter, He he. It has garnered several international awards: Best Screenplay or Silver Berlin Bear from the Berlin Film Fest and Film of Merit at the Shanghai Film Critic’s Awards. Lan Wei Wei also won Best Actress at the Pula Film Fest for her role as Mei Zhu. It’s one of many masterpieces featured at the Chinese Spring Film festival at the Shangri-La Cineplex in Shangri-La Plaza Mall. The fest will run from Feb. 3 to 9.

The film is set in a cold drab Beijing in the midst of a jungle of apartment buildings and shopping centers. He he is an adorable six-year-old kid stricken with leukemia. She is very attached to Lao Xie whom she thinks is her father but is actually her step dad. Her mother Mei Zhu has a less than friendly relationship with her ex-husband, Xiao Lu. Although Xiao has financial troubles as a construction contractor, he makes sure to provide for his daughter’s hospital bills. His current wife Dong Fan is an attractive stewardess looking to start a family with him. Dong Fan has the sexy looks of controversial actress Krista Ranillo. Xiao on the other hand is a younger version of Phillip Salvador who recently played “Panday” nemesis Lizardo.

The main question that arises is what sacrifices you are willing to make for a dying child. Mei Zhu is brilliantly played by actress Lan Wei Wei. And a majority of the scenes involve her young attractive face although her role is that of a mother approaching middle age. And the melodramatic reactions seem natural and expected. The more interesting role is that of her current husband Lao Xie played by Taisheng Chen who is an antithesis to the typical Chinese male. He volunteers to wash the dishes and takes care of He he by reading her bed time stories. There are times when he is more of a parent to her than both of the biological parents. And because he loves the child so much, the strain of her disease seems greater on him.

What makes it even more complex is the relationship of Mei Zhu with her ex-husband Xiao Lu. Although distant, Xiao Lu is more financially successful and physically attractive than Lao. The only similarity between them seems to be that they are both chain smokers. Dong Fan is played by Nan Yu who is arguably the most well known star among the cast. She was also cast in the Wachowski brothers’ “Speed Racer.” For Filipino audiences the facial similarities between her and Krista Ranillo are uncanny, the almond eyes and full lips. The film is a fascinating look at the family relationships in China and how they are dealing with the one child policy.

There are many more titles that can be seen in the Chinese Spring Film Festival sponsored by Ateneo De Manila University Ricardo Leong Center for Chinese Studies and Ateneo Celadon. Other titles include: “Cape No.7,” “The World” and “Seventeen Years.” In celebration of Chinese New Year, Shangri-La Plaza Mall will also have an exhibition of Chinese paintings.