Review: “I Belonged to You”

How do people recover from a tough, heart-rending break- up? Drinking ‘til they cannot think, sleeping in bed for days, talking to their friends about it continuously, or connecting with the characters in a romance movie awfully similar to your own? The new Chinese movie, “I Belonged to You,” is that kind of “break-up and healing” solution.

The movie is based on the bestselling short story series by Chinese writer, Zhang Jiajia, who just recovered from a terrible divorce four years ago. After his wife left him, he traveled all over China. He visited many places and talked to people, leading him to write a book, recounting the many love stories—good or bad—he gathered. The movie is a touching romantic tale revolving around two radio DJ’s and the life they live.

They find that the audience they reach reflects their own love and heartbreak, and it makes them deal with some bigger issues than their own.

In this movie, there are four young couples going through four different lifestyles and love lives. The only common thread is the expectations deep down in their hearts. They all expect to meet each other again, to get back together. Some of them are positive; others are desperate.

One of the main characters, Chen Mo, says, “No matter how hard we try, we will never be able to change our destiny.” If you’re going through a tough break-up, you will definitely gain a new angle of thinking and new found hope after watching “I Belonged to You.”