perkypops A film about laotong, the bonding of two women for eternity as kindred sisters, is unusual to say the least and one that is beautifully retold in the manner of so many oriental stories must be a rarity. The reason it works so well is because it is shot at two layers, one in the present day, and the other at a time when women needed each other for support. In fact the retelling of the latter is the result of a book written by Sophia of the life of Snow Flower in the title. In each layer Sophia/Snow Flower is bonded to Nina/Lily. The acting by Gianna Jun (Sophia/Snow Flower) and Bingbing Li as Nina/Lily is extraordinary with sterling support from an excellent cast. The cinematography and soundtrack are also first rate.In essence the story explores love in many guises via the relationship of the two present day characters and their mirrors of old, but it is only at the conclusion of the film that we are allowed to be inside the minds of the kindred sisters and their relationship. This is not a film that pivots upon romantic love since it delves very deep into the agendas the women have and for that reason alone it may not be a commercial success. That shouldn't detract from its beauty as a work of art but clearly it has had an effect on the film's popularity on IMDb. And that is a shame because it is well worth lasting all of its one hundred and four minutes including the beautiful wash drawings displayed with the final credits.I don't know how this film manages less than six on the ratings for I feel a little mean in only giving it eight because of the material it explores. It is worthy of a visit to cinema, or even ownership of a DVD. Oriental cinema has made another worthy addition to its growing list of excellent stories turned into film.

HLshop Others have described the story, so i wont. I feel that both the critics and users were unfairly harsh. I almost missed this as a result, despite having enjoyed the book. Perhaps it was the low expectations. However, I think it's better than many more popular female bonding movies and did not find too sentimental. I don't get why films like Bridesmaided or the Ya Ya sisterhood are well liked. Sure they are OK,, but cover nothing new.Both the book and the movie are trying to tug the heart strings. That accepted (and i like dark stories) they do it well and I cared about both sets of women and what happened to these women. The stories are interesting and the filming beautiful. I won't give any spoilers, but the ending was a bit too neatly tied up, especially in the modern story. I read the book and was skeptical about adding a parallel tail, but found it worked well, though not sure it was necessary. The ending was a bit too pat, especially in the modern day part. There are many worse ways to spend an evening. Give it a chance.

gradyharp SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN is the cinematic adaptation of Lisa See's popular novel by writers Angela Workman, Ron Bass and Michael K. Ray and director Wayne Wang. The film unveils parallel stories between 19th century China and present day Shanghai - the tales of two women joined by laotong - a binding vow and contract to be eternal friends and share each others lives - communicating with a secret women's language called nu shu, carefully inked characters placed on the folds between the spines of a silken fan. By using the same actresses to play the parts of the girls two centuries apart adds a mysterious beauty to the films alluring flavor.In 1826 Lily and Snow Flower become laotung and though they are from opposite ends of the social stratum they become devoted friends, undergoing the ritual of having their feet broken and bound to remain very small as adults - apparently a desired attribute for physical attraction as a potential bride. The poor girl is chosen for marriage by a wealthy family and the rich girl is promised to a butcher, an extreme reversal of roles in society and it is the manner in which each adapts and aids the other that demonstrates the depth of the bond of laotong. Concurrently in the film we meet Nina and Sophie in contemporary Shanghai: Nina has gained education and stature and is due to move to New York as part of an important business. Sophie is in an accident and only slowly do we realize that Sophie had the promise of moving to Australia to marry an Aussie singer (Hugh Jackman), more because she is pregnant than for love. Because of the laotung between Nina and Sophie the two make sacrifices that overcome all else to prove their loyalty. There are many parallels in the two stories that show a bond between the two sets of girls and to capture this bond securely the two girls form centuries apart are played by the same actresses: Lily/Nina become the roles of Bing Bing Li and Snow Flower/Sophie are portrayed by Gianna Jun. The supporting cast is carefully chosen and uniformly fine.The sets and costumes and music enhance this film significantly. It is not a great epic of a movie, but it has a tender and touching story that is very well told by everyone involved. Grady Harp

sir_humpslot From the get go it shouldn't be surprising what this movie is going to strive for: cheap sentimentality with the schmaltzy music.Like every other movie that tries to do the same: it just ends up being off putting when characters do nothing but brood and cry at their hardships.The plot makes no sense except to inject additional melodrama from modern day Shanghai to draw similarities in the lives of women from 200 years ago. I just gagged at the nonsensical "ghost" images of Snow Flower in contemporary Shanghai.I don't think anyone can actually sit through this clunking piece of time waster in one setting, as the pacing is simply atrocious. It took me about half a dozen tries over several days to get to the marathon ending - which is ironic given the run time isn't that bad.(And I speak as somebody who can sit through the entirety of Dr.Zhivago in one setting.) In short, this is the worst kind of manipulative charlatan product tie-in that Wayne Wang has tried in awhile. I simply don't understand how he keeps making these brooding glacial book-movies; and why does the Asian-American blogs keep posting about these intellectually vapid books and movies?