Apart Together

Love, politics and pragmatism cross paths in this fusion of romance and drama from Chinese filmmaker Wang Quanan. In the 1950s, Liu Yansheng (Ling Feng) was a nationalist soldier who fought against the Communist state in a civil war that did little to damage the stability of the People's Republic. Like many of his fellow rebels, Liu was forced to leave behind family and friends as he fled to Taiwan, and he abandoned his relationship with the woman he loved, Qiao Yu'e (Lisa Lu). It wasn't until the mid-1980s that Chinese exiles in Taiwan were permitted to visit their families back home, and shortly after the turn of the millennium Qiao finally received a letter from Liu, who informs her his wife has died and he's decided to come to China for a visit. Qiao's husband Lu Shenmin (Xu Caigen) is bemused at the prospect of meeting his wife's former boyfriend, while her children and grandchildren seem suspicious of Liu's motives, but when he stops by for a visit, Qiao warmly welcomes him into her home and even allows him to stay for the night. However, while sightseeing the next day, Liu tells Qiao that his real reason for coming to China wasn't to see his family, but to ask her to come to Taiwan and live with him for the rest of his days, even though he knows she already has a husband. Tuan Yuan (aka Apart Together) was an official selection at the 2010 Berlin international Film Festival.