The film 'Love Can Be Heard' depicts the bond between a deaf father and his daughter, facing challenges after the mother's return.

Starring Zhang Yixing, who is also active as a member of the globally popular idol group EXO, the heartwarming bond between a deaf father and his 7-year-old daughter is depicted in the moving work 'Love Can Be Heard,' which debuted at number one in its home country of China in April this year and will be released nationwide on January 9, 2026. The deaf father Xiao Ma and his daughter Mu Mu, who is a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), live together. Their modest daily life supporting each other begins to fray with the visit of the mother who left five years ago. Can their love overcome the greatest trial...? The protagonist Xiao Ma is played by Zhang Yixing, who passionately portrays a single father desperately running around wishing only for his young daughter's happiness, stirring the hearts of viewers. The role of Mu Mu, who receives all of Xiao Ma's affection, is played by the newcomer Li Luo An, making her film debut. The director is Sha Mo, who created a social phenomenon in China with the hit work 'I Want You Here.' Similar to the Academy Award-winning film 'CODA' and Ryo Yoshizawa's starring film 'I Am Living in Two Worlds,' many deaf individuals participate as actors in this film. This time, footage capturing the opening scene of the story about the mutual affection between father and daughter has been released. In this scene, Xiao Ma is sweating from an electrical work job that Mu Mu found for him. The scene captures them returning to their community of deaf people, which has now turned into a mahjong parlor. As soon as they return, Mu Mu eagerly joins the deaf people enjoying mahjong, but Xiao Ma encourages her to start studying. While Mu Mu has a past of not being able to attend elementary school to support her father, Xiao Ma has a strong desire to ensure his daughter receives a proper education despite their circumstances. Mu Mu begins to recite ancient poetry playfully, and Xiao Ma starts recording her voice. The footage reveals Xiao Ma, who pours abundant love into his daughter while being passionate about her education, and Mu Mu, who is responsible yet wants to rely on her father. It naturally conveys how they have completely blended into this deaf community and live together. Director Sha Mo's motivation to depict deaf individuals in this work stemmed from an interview with a lawyer specializing in lawsuits involving deaf people a few years ago. The director reflects, 'Through this interview, I met a deaf assistant woman working at that law firm. She was the first deaf person to pass the judicial examination in China, and at that time, she was pregnant. Initially, the interview subject was the lawyer, but I gradually became more interested in her. What particularly caught my attention was how she would face the child that was about to be born.' The director had not had deaf individuals close to him before, and this encounter sparked a strong interest in the deaf community. He explains that the reason he placed the unconditional love between father and daughter at the center of the story is, 'We all live in a kind of uncertain state. Relationships between people and the atmosphere of society as a whole are somewhat unstable and shaky. In that, the only certain thing for individuals is the existence of blood relations. Of course, there can be resistance within blood relations, but for me now, the only certain thing I can grasp in this uncertain world is this 'father-daughter love.'"} Assistant to=ArticleSummaryEn ## ArticleSummaryEn {