A couple gets married at an outdoor venue, but marriage is no longer a necessity for some Chinese.Photo: VCG

"We can accept an imperfect father… but people absolutely do not accept those same failings in mothers." This line from the US film Marriage Story seems to have hit many moviegoers right in their heart as it sparked heated discussions on Chinese social media on Tuesday.

Marriage Story tells the story of a couple who get a divorce because of separate jobs in New York and Los Angeles, and how they view marriage and love. 

"The perceptual topic plus rational expression is the point that I enjoyed the most, and is also the main reason that the film can resonate with the middle-aged people from all over the world," Fan Weiqing, an associate professor of the Arts Department at the School of Theater, Film and Television, Communication University of China, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

Starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, Marriage Story has earned a high score of 8.8/10 on Chinese media review site Douban. It was also nominated for six Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture, Best Screenplay and Best Original Score, on Monday.

Many Chinese expressed their views about the role of parents and the difference between marriage and love on Chinese social media.

"I could not agree with what the lawyer said more! I have met so many families in which the father blamed the mother after she accidentally bumped the child and already felt very guilty about it. The father acted like he would never hurt their child, which is actually because he seldom stayed with the child alone for more than one hour," one Chinese netizen commented on Sina Weibo.

The divorce in Marriage Story does not happen due to a betrayal or affair but rather due to differences in each character's spiritual pursuits. However, conflict arises when it comes to the custody of their child. 

The tense quarrel between Charlie (Driver) and Nicole (Johansson) in the film led to many Chinese netizens to talk about the difference between love and marriage.

"Love is easy while maintaining a marriage is hard. Marriage will have neglect and oppression when a couple is divided into a strong and a weak side. The weak side's wishes are neglected, while the strong side treats his wishes as a done deal. Unfortunately, if the weaker side wants to fight for her rights, their relationship will come to an end," one Chinese netizen commented on Douban.

"Falling in love depends more on emotion and feelings, and getting along in a marriage depends more on rationality. No matter what happens, it is important to be yourself," Fan said.