Surprisingly incoherent and boring

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Many comments seem to be skeptical about what happens in the film. In an interview, the director said, "The story is based on an actual event. A long time ago I had been reading an article from the local news in a Chinese paper. Two young women - lovers - that worked together at a factory were sentenced to death for the murder of one woman's father..." The director made a beautiful film about this situation, and said, "I wanted to tell the story of what it is like to lose the right to love, as can happen in any time and any place." Because he could not film this in China, it was filmed in Vietnam.I found the film not quite perfect, but well done and extremely lush in its settings. I give it 8 out of 10!

I knew nothing about the movie until I viewed it. Had I known the central theme was a blossoming love affair between two women I probably wouldn't have watched it. That said, here's my review.A young woman (Min Li) leaves her orphanage to intern with a renown botanist for 30 days. The botanist's daughter (Cheng An) and Min Li become friends quickly but you soon see something more intimate developing. Enter the botanist's son, on leave from the army. Mr. Chen (the botanist and dad) wants his son (Dan) to marry and have children and so encourages Dan to pursue Min Li. Dan readily agrees but Min Li rebuffs his advances. Min Li will leave at the end of 30 days and Cheng An won't abandon her father to go away with Min Li. Cheng An figures out a way she and Min Li can remain together: have Min Li marry her brother Dan. Dan is stationed in a nearby city and likely will remain stationed there indefinitely. Apparently, women are not permitted on the base so Min Li, as Dan's wife, would reside at Mr. Chen's home along with Cheng An, where she and Cheng An will love each other happily ever after. Things don't work out as planned after Mr Chen finds the women together.The love affair was shown in a gentle yet effective manner. I remember only one scene with exposed breasts. Mr Chen was self-absorbed and unaware of the women fooling around until the honeymoon began. Dan came off as a brute for abusing his new wife on their honeymoon. He was upset to find his wife wasn't a virgin - which maybe is justified in that culture, I don't know. In the end the women were re-united in a way I didn't expect. I liked the music soundtrack. It had a symphonic feel to it and at times featured the violins. There were some nice scenic shots throughout the movie. For me the movie seemed to last longer than it actually did. My recommendation: watch this movie ONLY if someone pays you.

I suppose this movie is trying to tell us how 2 women genuinely in love been punished by the society that does not tolerate it. But I have to admit I'm not convinced at all. It's just too fake. The plot moves forward through awkward twists. Characters are so inadequately developed, all ended up as one-dimensional people. The tragic ending is so out of proportion and out of logic.The story is set in southern China. All the movie used are just superficial culture symbols to make this representation. This is not real China in early 1980's(which it seems the story is set in). As someone grew up during that time in China, I have to say it doesn't capture the real feel of that time.Exploring a similar theme, Brokeback Mountain shows how to do everything right, and this one shows how to do almost everything wrong, except some nice landscape shots of southern China.

When I heard that this director was brought up in Europe but persist on picturing Chinese stuff, I was worrying about the reality of the film. I feel sad when I saw the film and I left after 20 minutes. Why don't all these directors picture something real and use more realistic story and sense? I hate this one as much as those films by Zhang Yimou. They all tried to cater to the western idea of China. Set the story in the remote areas and create a false sense of exotic. Even with the controversial topics, it is more radical in the city and in the 21th century. What is the different of this film with an erotic film? The two girls fall in love with no apparent reasons. The professor is rigid like a dictator and the young man is ....