{ "id": "ephkmctx77", "slug": "the-left-ear", "title": "The Left Ear", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.coming-of-age-films", "label": "Coming-of-age films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.coming-of-age-films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.coming-of-age-films.coming-of-age-films-released-2010-onward", "label": "Coming-of-age films released 2010 onward", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.coming-of-age-films.coming-of-age-films-released-2010-onward" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "China · 2001 to 2020: Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "path": [ { "id": "geo.chn", "label": "China", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001", "label": "China · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" } ] } ], "excerpt": "The Left Ear (左耳) is a 2015 Chinese coming-of-age drama, Alec Su's directorial debut, adapted from Rao Xueman's novel, starring Chen Duling, Ou Hao, Yang Yang, and Ma Sichun; it earned 500 million yuan and Golden Horse nominations.", "snippet": "The Left Ear (左耳) is a 2015 Chinese coming-of-age drama, Alec Su's directorial debut, adapted from Rao Xueman's novel, starring Chen Duling, Ou Hao, Yang Yang, and Ma Sichun; it earned 500 million yuan and Golden Horse nominations.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.coming-of-age-films.coming-of-age-films-released-2010-onward", "markdown": "# The Left Ear\n\n**The Left Ear** (左耳) is a 2015 Chinese coming-of-age romantic drama directed by Alec Su (蘇有朋), adapted from Rao Xueman's (饒雪漫) best-selling youth novel of the same title, with Rao also writing the screenplay. It was Su's first film as a director after a career as a singer and actor, and it stars Chen Duling, Ou Hao, Yang Yang, and Ma Sichun as teenagers whose entangled first loves end in tragedy and hard-won maturity.[1](https://www.goldenhorse.org.tw/film/about/archive/detail/1217?r=en) • [2](https://www.koudaibk.com/doc-view-12931.html)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original title | 左耳 (Zuo Er) |\n| Director / screenwriter | Alec Su (directorial debut); screenplay by Rao Xueman, from her own novel[1](https://www.goldenhorse.org.tw/film/about/archive/detail/1217?r=en) |\n| Release | April 24, 2015, mainland China; distributed by Beijing Enlight Pictures[2](https://www.koudaibk.com/doc-view-12931.html) |\n| Runtime | 116 minutes (Golden Horse archive listing); 117 minutes per Chinese database listings[1](https://www.goldenhorse.org.tw/film/about/archive/detail/1217?r=en) • [3](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/2226183.shtml) |\n| Box office | 500 million yuan in China; $77,910,000 international total, of which $70,860,000 from China[2](https://www.koudaibk.com/doc-view-12931.html) • [4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Zuo-Er-%28China%29-%282015%29) |\n| Principal cast | Chen Duling (Li Er), Ou Hao (Zhang Yang), Yang Yang (Xu Yi), Ma Sichun (Li Bala), Guan Xiaotong (Jiang Jiao), Duan Bowen (Hei Ren), Hu Xia (You Ta)[5](https://www.cpophome.com/the-left-ear-chen-duling-ou-hao-yang-yang/) |\n| Honors | Nominated at the 52nd Golden Horse Awards for Best New Director (Su) and Best Supporting Actress (Ma Sichun)[2](https://www.koudaibk.com/doc-view-12931.html) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Story\n\nThe film is told from the point of view of Li Er, a seventeen-year-old girl who is deaf in her left ear. According to the tradition the film invokes, the left ear lies closest to the heart, so words of love whispered into it are the ones that matter. Li Er secretly loves her classmate Xu Yi, but Xu Yi is pursued and won by Li Bala, an uninhibited bar singer. Li Er and Bala become unlikely friends, and through Bala, Li Er meets Zhang Yang, the boy Bala truly loves. Bala dies in an accident, and her death forces the surviving characters to grow up quickly; Li Er eventually falls in love with Xu Yi.[1](https://www.goldenhorse.org.tw/film/about/archive/detail/1217?r=en) • [6](https://www.fandango.com/the-left-ear-182747/movie-overview) • [5](https://www.cpophome.com/the-left-ear-chen-duling-ou-hao-yang-yang/)\n\nThe Golden Horse festival synopsis describes the film as exploring, through sharply contrasting young characters including Li Bala, Zhang Yang, Xu Yi, Jiang Jiao, and Heiren, \"the pain and beauty of growing up in the modern age.\"[1](https://www.goldenhorse.org.tw/film/about/archive/detail/1217?r=en)\n\n## Production\n\nEnlight Media approached Rao Xueman about adapting her novel, promising her whatever she wanted, and the studio chose actor Alec Su to direct. The project was Su's first move behind the camera. During script development he reportedly went through 36 screenwriters before Rao took on the writing herself; she and Su argued repeatedly over dialogue and actors' expressions before settling into collaboration.[2](https://www.koudaibk.com/doc-view-12931.html)\n\n**Casting.** Su and Rao spent roughly half a year auditioning actors in their twenties, working on the principle that suitability mattered more than fame. Ma Sichun was spotted by Rao on Weibo as her image of Li Bala, but her first audition failed; she was told to lose at least 15 jin (about 7.5 kg), did so in twenty days, and won the role with nearly unanimous support at a second, recorded audition. Chen Duling, by contrast, was cast after Rao saw her photo in an online campus-beauty contest, making her the only principal who never went through the audition rounds; she agreed to act in this one film as a memento of her youth. Ou Hao first auditioned for the role of Heiren and was asked to try for Zhang Yang on the studio head's suggestion.[2](https://www.koudaibk.com/doc-view-12931.html)\n\nFilming ran from August 10 to October 22, 2014, on locations including Dongshan Island in [Zhangzhou](https://www.edgepedia.org/zhangzhou), Xiamen, Beijing, and Shanghai.[2](https://www.koudaibk.com/doc-view-12931.html) The production companies were Beijing Enlight Pictures and Jiangsu Yilin Film Culture Media Co.[2](https://www.koudaibk.com/doc-view-12931.html)\n\n## Release and box office\n\nThe film opened in mainland China on April 24, 2015. It earned 220 million yuan in its first four days, outgrossing the better-starred youth film *The Everlasting Growth* (万物生长), and finished at 500 million yuan.[2](https://www.koudaibk.com/doc-view-12931.html) • [7](https://media.people.com.cn/n/2015/0429/c40606-26921200.html) The Numbers records an international total of $77,910,000, with $70,860,000 from China, $119,412 from Australia, and $18,316 from New Zealand.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Zuo-Er-%28China%29-%282015%29) Box Office Mojo lists a worldwide gross of $78,015,473.[8](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt4545806/credits/)\n\n**Overseas release.** Asia Releasing handled the North American release on behalf of rights holder Magnum Films, with a limited United States opening on May 8, 2015; the film also opened in Canada that day and screened at the Tokyo Chinese Film Week in October 2015.[9](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/hk-filmart-left-ear-heads-u-release-exclusive-224442860.html) • [2](https://www.koudaibk.com/doc-view-12931.html)\n\n## Reception and awards\n\nAt the 52nd Golden Horse Awards, announced October 1, 2015, the film received nominations for Best New Director (Alec Su) and Best Supporting Actress (Ma Sichun).[2](https://www.koudaibk.com/doc-view-12931.html) Later honors included the annual most-youthful-literature-IP award at the 5th Beijing International Film Festival (2015), a most-promising-actor award for [Guan Xiaotong](https://www.edgepedia.org/guan-xiaotong) at the first Golden Goat Macau International Film Festival (2016), most popular director for Su at the 23rd Beijing Student Film Festival (2016), best cinematography for Zhao Fei at the 18th Taipei Film Awards (2016), and most watched actor for Ou Hao at the 16th Chinese Film Media Awards (2016).[2](https://www.koudaibk.com/doc-view-12931.html)\n\nCritical response was mixed. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has no Tomatometer reviews and a 54 percent audience score, and on IMDb it holds a 5.4/10 rating from 650 users.[10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_left_ear_2015) • [11](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4545806/ratings/) Chinese commentary at the time was divided: a Beijing Daily report noted that both *The Left Ear* and *The Everlasting Growth* drew poor word of mouth despite commercial success, quoting critics who saw the youth-film wave as commercial noise, while Sohu Entertainment praised Su for telling someone else's story honestly without imposing his own background, and director Peter Chan (陳可辛) said the film moved him to tears twice.[7](https://media.people.com.cn/n/2015/0429/c40606-26921200.html) • [2](https://www.koudaibk.com/doc-view-12931.html) The Chlotrudis Society review found the film \"a bit better than expected,\" singling out Chen Duling's \"stubbornly innocent world view\" and Ma Sichun's charisma as Li Bala.[12](https://chlotrudis.org/review/leftear/)\n\n## Significance\n\nThe film is routinely identified as a representative work of the Chinese \"youth pain\" (青春疼痛) genre adapted from Rao Xueman's writing, and its commercial performance, a 500-million-yuan total from a cast of newcomers led by a first-time director, was cited in 2015 coverage as evidence that post-1990s audiences had become the mainstream audience for domestic youth films.[2](https://www.koudaibk.com/doc-view-12931.html) • [7](https://media.people.com.cn/n/2015/0429/c40606-26921200.html) Its success also led to further adaptations of Rao's novels, including *The Hourglass* (沙漏).[13](https://scdnews.com/images/paper/221230/221230C.pdf)\n\n## References\n\n1. [The Left Ear, Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival archive](https://www.goldenhorse.org.tw/film/about/archive/detail/1217?r=en)\n2. [左耳, 口袋百科](https://www.koudaibk.com/doc-view-12931.html)\n3. [左耳, 1905电影网](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/2226183.shtml)\n4. [Zuo Er (2015), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Zuo-Er-%28China%29-%282015%29)\n5. [The Left Ear, CPOP HOME](https://www.cpophome.com/the-left-ear-chen-duling-ou-hao-yang-yang/)\n6. [The Left Ear, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/the-left-ear-182747/movie-overview)\n7. [《左耳》超越《万物生长》成票房黑马, 人民网/北京日报](https://media.people.com.cn/n/2015/0429/c40606-26921200.html)\n8. [The Left Ear (2015), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt4545806/credits/)\n9. [HK FilMart: 'Left Ear' Heads for U.S. Release, Yahoo Entertainment](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/hk-filmart-left-ear-heads-u-release-exclusive-224442860.html)\n10. [The Left Ear (2015), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_left_ear_2015)\n11. [The Left Ear, IMDb ratings](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4545806/ratings/)\n12. [The Left Ear review, Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film](https://chlotrudis.org/review/leftear/)\n13. [商業日報 (scdnews) page mentioning 《沙漏》 adaptation](https://scdnews.com/images/paper/221230/221230C.pdf)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Coming-of-age films › Coming-of-age films released 2010 onward*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/the-left-ear", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/the-left-ear.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"The Left Ear\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-left-ear. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[The Left Ear](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-left-ear)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/the-left-ear](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-left-ear). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"The Left Ear\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-left-ear. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "The Left Ear is a 2015 Chinese coming-of-age drama, Alec Su's directorial debut, adapted from Rao Xueman's novel, starring Chen Duling, Ou Hao, Yang Yang, and Ma Sichun; it earned 500 million yuan and Golden Horse nominations." }