Rent Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2011)
3.2 of 5 from 56 ratings
1h 39min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- From director Wayne Wang of 'The Joy Luck Club', and based on the best-selling novel, comes a timeless portrait of female friendship. Centuries ago, two "sworn sisters" are isolated by their families, but stay connected through a secret language written in the folds of a white silk fan. Now in modern-day Shanghai, their descendants must draw inspiration from the past as they struggle to maintain their own eternal bond in the face of life's complications. What unfolds are two stories, generations apart, but everlasting in their universal notion of love, hope and friendship.
- Actors:
- Bingbing Li, Ji-hyun Jun, Vivian Wu, Russell Wong, Archie Kao, Coco Chiang, Hu Qing Yun, Shiping Cao, Ruijia Zhang, Zhebing Gong, Lilia Zhou, Congmeng Guo, Danping Shen, Yan Dai, Yulan Xu, Shiming Wang, Shouqin Xu, Ying Tang, Chen Tao, Feihu Sun
- Directors:
- Wayne Wang
- Producers:
- Wendi Murdoch, Florence Sloan
- Voiced By:
- Christina Y. Jun
- Writers:
- Angela Workman, Ronald Bass, Michael Ray, Lisa See
- Aka:
- Xuehua yu Mishan
- Studio:
- 20th Century Fox
- Genres:
- Drama
- Countries:
- China
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Reviews of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Critic review
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (aka Xuehua yu Mishan) review by Alyse Garner - Cinema Paradiso
Two parallel stories of the trails of long term friendships under the pressure of social constraints and expectations. In 19th Contrary China two girls, Snow Flower (Gianna Yun) and Lily (Bingbing Li) are matched as lifelong companions, but struggle to speak openly under the watchful eyes and tight restraints of their culture. Whilst in modern day Shangri the descendants of these girls, Nina (Li) and Sophie (Yun) must find a way to keep their friendship alive under the pressures of their busy and career dominated lives.
As visually intricate and expressive as the title might imply Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is full of gorgeous imagery and cinematography, as well as an intimate and detailed score.
Though visually beautiful the film’s narrative is somewhat over complicated and alienating; though cited as descendants the connection between Lily and Nina and Snow Flower and Sophie is not made clear in the movie proper whilst the stories have a strangely mirrored but jarring similarity that makes you feel as though the only purpose of Nina and Sophie is to drive home the message of the 19th Centaury story.
The over riding theme of the constricting social expectations of Chinese women is amplified by the repeated images of the ancient tradition of binding feet and the emotional significance of the two main characters furthered by continual close ups of the two actresses faces; both lose all meaning after a while however and you find yourself struggling to care about the outcome for either pair. The beauty of the film is unable to compensate for this lack of characterization and leaves you vaguely disappointed by the end of the piece.