“Mumu, I Hear You Papa” Review: A Soft-Spoken Stunner That Breaks Your Heart Gently

Dramatic films, especially those that deal with familial ties, are a dime a dozen. A lot of them crash into your emotions, just drowning you in bombastic declarations of undying love and/or epically unspeakable amounts of tragedy. Once in a while though, some of them will slip in quietly, sit beside you, and hold your hand until you’re crying—and you’re not even sure when it started. Mumu, I Hear You Papa is the latter.

Mumu, I Hear You Papa tells the story of Mumu, a little girl who lives with her deaf-mute father Xiao Ma whose somewhat peaceful existence is shattered when the girl’s mother Xiao Jing shows up after years of estrangement to fight for her custody. Determined to keep his daughter in his life, Xiao Ma desperately stops at nothing just to prove he can take care of Mumu, but will all of his efforts be enough to keep the little girl?

At its heart is Xiao Ma, a father, deaf and struggling, trying to give his daughter Mumu a life filled with joy, dignity, and stability. Their world is small, but it’s full—built on a language only they understand, and the kind of bond that doesn’t need translation. The film begins with moments so charming and funny, you let your guard down completely.

Then it hits you.

Without warning, the tone shifts—not drastically, but just enough to knock the air out of you. There’s a growing sense of desperation, a quiet storm building behind the father’s smile. And when it finally breaks, it doesn’t explode—it aches.

Yixing Zhang as Xiao Ma is phenomenal. There’s no flash, no theatrics. Just eyes, silences, and weight. The former member of the Main Dancers of the South Korean-Chinese boyband EXO just absolutely owns every scene he’s in, bringing an informed authenticity to his acting as the titular little girl’s deaf-mute father. Luoan Li as Mumu is a revelation, though. With this film and a TV series being her only listed acting credits on IMDb, one can’t help but be amazed at the dramatic heft she brings to her chemistry with Zhang. She brings such authenticity to the daughter role that it never once feels performed. Their dynamic is the heartbeat of the film.

And just like any modern riff on an old, classic formula, the film has (in our opinion) an ace up its sleeve. The surprise? A subplot with crime-noir energy that somehow works. It doesn’t pull you out of the story—it deepens it.

Because sometimes love isn’t soft. Sometimes it means doing the things you swore you wouldn’t just to prove you’re worthy of keeping what’s yours.

What’s most impressive is how the film resists the urge to over-explain or oversell. It treats its deaf characters and the challenges they face with quiet dignity—never exploitative, never pitying. Just human. There’s no fairy tale ending here. No fantasy fix. Just a quiet, bittersweet truth: that love isn’t always enough, but it’s still worth everything. And that sometimes, doing your best doesn’t get you what you want—but it tells the world who you are. That’s what lingers.

Cinegeeks rating: B+