Snow Flower and Lily are two young girls in the Hunan Province who were born on the exact same day. Throughout their childhood they go through the traditional cultural tradition of feet binding, as well as meeting a matchmaker to find a husband. The two develop a friendship and learn Nu Shu, a secret language between Chinese women which they use to write messages in the folds of a fan.
Sophia and Nina are two women in modern Shanghai who have been friends since their early teens. At the beginning of the film she is hit by a car, delaying Nina's move to New York as she opts to stay behind and care for her longtime friend. Through a series of stories written by Sophia and several clues, Nina finds Lily and Snow Flower's fan that Sophia had kept, as it was handed down through her family for generations, signifying the bond of sisterhood that outlasts time.
The film is visually stunning, but there were a few things that drove me crazy. First, why in the hell would twelve people sitting around a five-star restaurant in contemporary Shanghai be speaking English to one another? I felt badly for the actors, who were clearly struggling to find their voice and character while speaking in a foreign tongue. Subtitles should have been used throughout, not just in the 19th century scenes.
In addition, the typeface used looked as though it had been plucked straight from the Papyrus setting in Microsoft Word. The dialogue, action, and reaction were so drawn out that the even though the movie's duration was a little over ninety minutes, it felt more like three hours. And one must not forget that it was nothing short of alarming to see Hugh Jackman pop up out of nowhere (and sing a song in Chinese) as Sophia's fiancee. Actually now that I think about it, the whole scene was both alarming and absurd.
Finally, as a woman, I understand why I was supposed to be moved by a tale of love and devotion between "sisters," but when every trite thing that happens in the film has a heightened sense of urgency and drama, it is difficult to decide upon which aspects to take seriously. I wouldn't say I am offended at the movie's hint that a women needs someone else (be that a person of any sex) in order to feel complete, but I'm not in love with that message that is being thrown around in many films these days. When are we going to stop portraying the simple act of having breasts as an obstacle? Maybe women from an older generation will find it moving, but as for me, it just didn't make the cut.
