Must See Movies: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

 

 

Street Date: November 1, 2011
Screen Format: 16:9
Audio: English AD 5.1 DD, Mandarin (Simplified) 5.1 DTS-HD-MA
Subtitles: English/French/Spanish
Total Run Time: 2 hours, 23 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Closed Captioned: Yes

SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN
“An emotionally powerful tale of two sets of Chinese women
in two different centuries”
– Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
Coming to Blu-ray and DVD November 1st
From Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Summary:

Critically-acclaimed director Wayne Wang (The Joy Luck Club) weaves a contemporary tale with an old-world fable in SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN, released to Blu-ray and DVD on November 1st from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Inspired by author Lisa See’s bestselling novel of the same name, SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN tells a poignant tale of eternal friendship.

Growing up in 19th century China, Lily (Bingbing Li, The Forbidden Kingdom) and Snow Flower (Gianna Jun, My Sassy Girl) are brought together in a Laotong friendship—a lifelong bond between two women who rely on each other for companionship and comfort. Amid the civil unrest and gender discrimination of the era, the pair deals with life’s hardships together until they are separated by marriage and childbirth. As sworn sisters, however, the women continue to communicate through the secret Chinese language of nushu, hiding their stories and messages within the folds of delicate silk fans.

In present day Shanghai, the Laotong’s descendants Nina (also played by Li) and Sophia (also played by Jun) struggle to maintain the intimacy of their own childhood friendship in the face of demanding careers and complicated love lives. Drawing on lessons of the past, the two modern women must understand the story of their ancestral connection or risk losing one another forever. What unfolds are two stories, generations apart, but everlasting in the notion of love, hope and friendship.

SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN features supporting performances by Russell Wong (Romeo Must Die), Vivian Wu (The Last Emperor), and Archie Kao (“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation).

SNOWER FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN Special Features

• The Sworn Sisterhood of the Secret Fan

My Thoughts:

If you are a fan of the Joy Luck Club or have read the book, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and loved it, then you have to see this movie.  I watched it a couple of weeks ago and can’t stop talking about it with friends.  Having not read the book by the same title, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  All I knew was that the director who made The Joy Luck Club was also behind this movie.  This movie didn’t disappoint.  I loved the home premise of the movie and watching the two main characters, strong women, as they journey to understand their ancestral connection, while strengthening their friendship bond.  This is definitely a chick flick and one to be enjoyed with your girlfriends.  I ended up watching this movie with my mother, who had read the book, and she couldn’t stop raving about the movie.  It was one of the best movies she had seen in a long time, and is up there with The Joy Luck Club. 

This holiday, why not give this DVD to a girlfriend or pick up for a girl’s night in. 

Disclosure:  I was sent a copy of this movie in order to write up an honest review.  The views above are mine and mine alone.