The Left Ear 2015

Drama

Romance

Box Office

$78M

Runtime

120 mins

Language

Chinese

Directed by

Alec Su

Made by

Beijing Enlight Pictures

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The Left Ear Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for The Left Ear (2015). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

Li Er, a 17-year-old girl who is partially deaf in her left ear, longs to hear whispered words that will reach her heart. She secretly adores Xu Yi, a popular and bright classmate. But Xu Yi loves Li Bala, a bar waitress, and his fixation on her pulls him away from his studies. This imbalance triggers a crisis at home, culminating in his mother’s hospitalization and eventual death.

Unbeknownst to them, all three become pawns in a revenge plot devised by Zhang Yang, Xu Yi’s half-brother, who has long resented the way his mother left him and his father to marry Xu Yi’s father. Zhang Yang seeks to hurt Xu Yi through Li Bala by destroying his reputation. After a basketball game, Li Bala falls for him at first sight, despite Zhang Yang’s volatile nature and his jealous girlfriend Jiang Jiao. Zhang Yang agrees to date Li Bala on the condition that she helps ruin Xu Yi’s reputation.

After exams, Zhang Yang and Jiang Jiao go out for dinner with their high school friends. Seeing Li Bala’s name on Zhang Yang’s phone, Jiang Jiao forces him to choose between her and Li Bala. Zhang Yang calls Li Bala a slut to appease Jiang Jiao, but the moment is captured on Jiang Jiao’s camcorder, later stolen by Hei Ren’s subordinate. Hei Ren, a gangster who is in love with Li Bala, shows the tape to Li Bala. Unable to accept the truth, Li Bala heads to find Zhang Yang to clarify the misunderstanding, but she dies in a car accident along the way. As she dies, Li Bala whispers her last words into Li Er’s ears, telling her to pass them on to Zhang Yang. However, because of her condition, Li Er cannot hear what Li Bala says.

After graduation, Zhang Yang and Jiang Jiao move to Beijing while Li Er and Xu Yi head to Shanghai. Li Er and Xu Yi begin dating, but soon break up after Li Er discovers Xu Yi is cheating. Li Er returns to her hometown, where she chances upon Zhang Yang, whom she eventually forgives. She finds Li Bala’s note left for Zhang Yang, written to wish him happiness, and decides to pass the note along, telling Zhang Yang that it contains Li Bala’s last words for him.

In 2013, after everyone has graduated, Li Er is employed at a company in Shanghai. Zhang Yang, who has gradually fallen in love with Li Er, whispers softly into her ears as she looks up at him and smiles, signaling a quietly hopeful future.

The Left Ear Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of The Left Ear (2015) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.

Li Er's longing to hear whispered words

Li Er is partially deaf in her left ear, and she longs to hear whispered words that reach her heart. This condition shapes how she experiences communication and connection with others. Her yearning sets the emotional tone for the story.

childhood Li Er's hometown

Xu Yi falls for Li Bala

Xu Yi is a popular, bright classmate who secretly adores Li Bala, a bar waitress. His fixation on her pulls him away from his studies and creates tension at home. Li Bala becomes the focal point of Xu Yi's longing.

high school school

Zhang Yang's revenge plot begins

Zhang Yang, Xu Yi's half-brother, resents how his mother left the family and opts for revenge. He decides to hurt Xu Yi through Li Bala by manipulating her influence over Xu Yi's reputation.

before exams Zhang Yang's home

Basketball game sparks Li Bala's feelings

After a basketball game, Li Bala is drawn to Zhang Yang at first sight, despite his volatile nature and Jiang Jiao's jealousy. Zhang Yang agrees to date Li Bala only if she helps ruin Xu Yi's reputation.

after a basketball game basketball court

Dinner and the camcorder trap

After exams, Zhang Yang and Jiang Jiao dine with high school friends, and Jiang Jiao pressures him to choose between her and Li Bala. To appease her, Zhang Yang insults Li Bala, a moment captured on Jiang Jiao's camcorder.

after exams high school restaurant

Tape reaches Li Bala

Hei Ren, a gangster in love with Li Bala, obtains the camcorder footage and shows the tape to Li Bala. The revelation unsettles Li Bala and complicates the plot.

shortly after dinner

Li Bala's car accident and last words

Unable to accept the truth, Li Bala heads to confront Zhang Yang, but she dies in a car accident on the way. As she dies, she whispers her last words into Li Er's ears, instructing her to pass them on to Zhang Yang; Li Er cannot hear them clearly due to her deafness.

before graduation on the road

Graduation and later movements

After graduation, Zhang Yang and Jiang Jiao move to Beijing, while Li Er and Xu Yi move to Shanghai. Li Er and Xu Yi begin dating but soon break up after Li Er discovers Xu Yi is cheating.

after graduation Beijing and Shanghai

Li Er returns home and forgives Zhang Yang

Li Er returns to her hometown and happens upon Zhang Yang again, whom she eventually forgives. She also finds Li Bala's note left for Zhang Yang, written to wish him happiness.

after graduation Li Er's hometown

Passing along Li Bala's last words

Li Er decides to pass Li Bala's note along to Zhang Yang, telling him that it contains Li Bala's last words for him. The act closes a sad chapter and reopens a fragile connection between them.

after graduation Li Er's hometown

2013: Quiet hope in Shanghai

In 2013, after everyone has graduated, Li Er works at a company in Shanghai. Zhang Yang, who has gradually fallen in love with Li Er, whispers softly into her ears as she looks up at him, signaling a quietly hopeful future.

2013 Shanghai

The Left Ear Characters

Explore all characters from The Left Ear (2015). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.

Li Er (Chen Duling)

Li Er, a 17-year-old girl with partial deafness in her left ear, longs to hear whispered words that will reach her heart. She loves Xu Yi from afar and navigates heartbreak as Xu Yi chases Li Bala. She grows through betrayal, forgiveness, and reconciliation as the story unfolds.

💬 Protagonist 🧭 Growth 👂 Partial deafness

Xu Yi (Yang Yang)

Xu Yi is a popular, bright classmate whose fixation on Li Bala pulls him away from his studies. His relationships unravel under the strain of the revenge plot, and he becomes a catalyst for much of the drama.

💎 Popular 🎯 Ambition 💔 Infidelity

Li Bala (Ma Sichun)

Li Bala is a bar waitress who falls for Zhang Yang and becomes the focus of the revenge plan. Her life is cut short by a car accident, but her whispered last words carry a lasting impact. She embodies desire, vulnerability, and tragedy that set the narrative in motion.

💖 Desirable 🎭 Tragic 🚗 Fatal accident

Zhang Yang (Ou Hao)

Zhang Yang is Xu Yi's half-brother who grows to resent his mother's departure and plots to ruin Xu Yi's reputation. He is volatile, complicated, and capable of manipulation, and his actions drive the central conflict.

🗡️ Villain 💔 Jealousy 🎭 Complex

Jiang Jiao (Guan Xiaotong)

Jiang Jiao is Zhang Yang's jealous girlfriend who pressures him to choose between her and Li Bala. She participates in the plot to ruin Xu Yi's reputation and embodies possessiveness and rivalry.

💢 Jealousy 🎭 Rivalry 🕸️ Manipulation

Li Er's mother (Tian Miao)

Li Er's mother experiences hospitalization and eventually death after the family crisis, underscoring the personal costs of the high school turmoil and Zhang Yang's plan.

💔 Family tragedy 🏥 Illness 🕊️ Loss

The Left Ear Settings

Learn where and when The Left Ear (2015) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.

Time period

Late 1990s to 2013

The story traces Li Er and Xu Yi's youth through graduation and into adulthood, culminating in 2013. It juxtaposes school days with later lives in Shanghai and Beijing, illustrating how choices echo across years. The timeframe highlights the transition from adolescence to maturity, with memory and consequences shaping the present.

Location

Beijing, Shanghai

Beijing and Shanghai serve as the central urban backdrops where high school pressures, friendships, and romantic entanglements unfold. The film also nods to Li Er's hometown, grounding the drama in familiar settings and family ties. These urban spaces amplify the stakes of reputation, gossip, and personal growth.

🏙️ City life 🎓 Youth culture 🏘️ Hometown vibes

The Left Ear Themes

Discover the main themes in The Left Ear (2015). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.

💖

Love and longing

The film threads unrequited affection and yearning through Li Er's crush on Xu Yi and Li Bala's complicated romance with Zhang Yang. It shows how desire can drive choices, complicate friendships, and reshape futures. The relationships are tested by jealousy, misunderstandings, and the fear of losing someone you care about.

🗡️

Revenge

A calculated revenge plot by Zhang Yang destabilizes friendships and families. The plan to ruin Xu Yi's reputation triggers a cascade of consequences, culminating in Li Bala's death and deep emotional scars. The film examines how revenge corrodes trust and prolongs pain beyond the initial hurt.

📝

Words and memory

Li Bala's whispered final words become a burden Li Er carries, shaping her actions decades later. The act of passing along a message tests loyalty, forgiveness, and the weight of memory. The narrative suggests that words, even when spoken in love or anger, carry lasting power to redefine relationships.

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The Left Ear Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of The Left Ear (2015). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.

In a small town where the hum of everyday life is tinged with the quiet ache of unspoken words, a seventeen‑year‑old girl learns to navigate the world with a subtle, persistent whisper in her left ear. Li Er lives with partial hearing loss that makes her yearn for intimate murmurs that seem to bypass language and go straight to the heart. The story follows her through the corridors of a bustling high school, where the ordinary rhythms of classes, friendships, and teenage dreams are painted with a soft, introspective tone that feels both intimate and universal.

Caught in the swirl of adolescent desire, Li Er finds herself drawn to the charismatic and academically gifted Xu Yi, whose own attentions are captured by the lively bar‑working Li Bala. The three form a tangled emotional triangle, each longing for connection while wrestling with their own insecurities. Adding another layer, Zhang Yang, a half‑brother with his own hidden motives, weaves through their lives, his presence hinting at deeper family currents and the quiet resentments that linger beneath the surface. The film subtly layers these relationships, allowing viewers to sense the undercurrents without revealing the full scope of each character’s hidden agenda.

Against this backdrop of youthful yearning, the narrative explores themes of love, loss, and the fragile process of forgiveness. Li Er confronts the sting of rejection and the bewildering emotions that follow when the people she cares for make choices that ripple through her world. The tone remains lyrical, blending moments of melancholy with fleeting glimmers of hope, inviting the audience to feel the pulse of a generation learning to listen—to whispers, to silence, and to the deeper sounds that linger in the heart.