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Historical drama tracing the parallel relationships between two female friends in 19th-century and modern-day China. Based on the bestseller by Lisa...
Historical drama tracing the parallel relationships between two female friends in 19th-century and modern-day China. Based on the bestseller by Lisa See.
Follows 7-year-olds girls Snow Flower and Lily, in 19th-century China, matched as laotong - or "old sames" - the Chinese practice in which two women bind themselves as sisters, together for eternity. In the face of rigid cultural norms imposed on women, they communicate by taking turns writing in a secret language, nu shu, between the folds of a white silk fan. In a parallel story in present day Shanghai, the laotong's descendants, Nina and Sophia struggle to maintain the intimacy of their own childhood friendship in the face of demanding careers, complicated love lives, and a relentlessly evolving Shanghai.
Both Lily and Nina are played by Bingbing Li (The Forbidden Kingdom), Snow Flower and Sophia are played by Gianna Jun (Blood: The Last Vampire).
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Where to watch Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
22 %90 reviewsRotten Tomatoes® rating
48 %6,418 reviewsAudience score rating
"Mawkish, clunky and unenlightening about female suffering."
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Variety
Variety"This rich weave of eras looks pretty, but plays to an exoticised vision of old-world China, even as it demystifies the excruciating custom of foot-binding."
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Total Film
Total Film"A lack of basic human chemistry sink this gloopy, soft-focus film."
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The Guardian
The Guardian"An emotionally powerful tale of two sets of Chinese women in two different centuries."
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Hollywood Reporter
Hollywood Reporter"Wang's film doesn't do much more than splash colour on a story of deep-felt friendship."
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Empire Magazine
Empire Magazine"Stilted and emotionally remote."
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A.V. Club
A.V. ClubSnow Flower and the Secret Fan | Details
- Runtime
- 120
- Genre
- Drama
- Country of origin
- China, USA
