Learning to speak Nu Shu - Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

The quiet, soft and warm palette, with gentle tones of sopranos singing, are qualities I am beginning to associate with Chinese dramatic films. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, is no different. Based on the book by Lisa See of the same title, it is a beautiful, sweet story, interwoven through three distinct time periods - present day, the recent past, and more ancient times in China.

It is a love story of two women, not lesbians, but "laotong" - women who have agreed from an early age to be eternally committed to one another. What makes this story poetic is the silent commentary on former female oppression, the ludicrous and painful notions of what makes a women beautiful  and worthy(crushed feet), and the difficulty, disloyalty and shortfall of their relationship with men, by comparison. Their fates and lifestyles are switched, yet their dynamic remains unchanged. Themes of sacrifice and responsibility echo throughout the film, and the real challenge is that both women opt to love each other through sacrifice.

The acting is superb, and obviously not reliant on international celebrities, although Hugh Jackman makes a brief appearance as the man who wasn't good enough.  Richard Wong makes every image seamless, pretty and interconnected to the next. British composer Rachel Portman, of Chocolat (Lasse Hallstrom, 2000), Cider House Rules (Lasse Hallstrom 1999) and The Duchess (Saul Dibb, 2008),  fame also compliments the quiet with soft pieces of fitting music. And last but not least, commercial known for Maid in Manhattan, 2002, starring Jennifer Lopez, director Wayne Wang bought all the elements together beautifully. He is also a jury member at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is currently on circuit at Nu Metro. A foreign film must-see!
 Watch trailer http://youtu.be/Aa93drpm30E

Written by N.Zindi

for Monkeys Wedding Media Blog