Mei ren yi jiu

...there's a Fei. And a Ying Zi and good old Mr. Huang.

The pleasure in this movie is in the senses, with great visuals, artistic camera work and period western music.

Ying and Fei are half-sisters thrown together at the will of their father. Literally. Fei was his child by a maid who was subsequently dismissed, although Fei's schooling has been supported. At his death he stipulates a reconciliation (of sorts) before Ying may inherit the estate.

The story gains a stronger emphasis as the inevitable love triangle develops with Mr. Huang, Ying's "fiance". As in so many of these doomed relationships Mr. Huang wishes "I want them both" to which a friend says "then have them both, you're the man".

The plot features yearning for family and for affection, played out without one ever being sure of the authenticity; the characters' motives are sometimes stated but more often only indicated by a glance, a shift in posture or a change in framing, often exquisitely done.

The characters pursue their destinies (always with great visual style) while almost oblivious to the impeding doom of their society collapsing, their fates foreshadowing the great changes soon to take place in Mao's China.

This movie borrows a lot from Wong Kar Wai in my opinion, mostly from 2046 and In the Mood For Love.

It does a great job mixing the music with visually beautiful cinematic shots, mixing in narration with on screen action, and in some ways has a simpler story than the stories Wong Kar Wai tells.

I enjoyed the flashbacks that showed the girls when they were young.

I always wonder though why the man who both girls fall in love with is so attractive, because he doesn't seem to have that much going for him. He is not that attractive, although he does seem philosophical and somewhat kind.

The music is particularly significant because it blends so well with the sensuous visuals. The soft shots of the women bathed in an almost ethereal light are stunning.

I am not sure of the ending though. The man walks away and goes we know not where, but true to character there is another woman ready to give herself to him but he can't make a decision about her either and walks away. I am sure this is just for theater because in real life he would have gotten on the boat with her and escaped the chaos about to ensue.

One of the reviewers said that the Chinese have terrible endings, they just don't know how to end a movie. I disagree, I love Chinese movies because most of them don't have a fake Hollywood happy ending. And they make you think.

It's a movie you want to see again, because it is not easy.

My one negative comment about this movie is that the subtitles are in white and when juxtaposed onto a white screen there is no way in hell if you don't understand Mandarin that an English speaking viewer can see the words.

I am a Big Zhou Xun fan. And the reason i picked up this DVD is so that I could catch a glimpse of my goddess. Not contented to be a star chasing freak... I decided that i should watch the show without any prejudice and biasness. But in the end. All i could think about was Zhou Xun's eyes. So haunting and defiant.

This show is about the two sisters Fei(ZHou Xun) and Ying(Vivian Wu). Ying needs Fei just as much as Fei needs Ying. Both has an agenda. yet... they also bond emotionally. This causes a tip in the psychological scale. Throw in a dashing Mr Huang(Wang Zhiwen) and you have all the emotional tensions running wild...

This story is very simple. Yet it is not simple. There are so many emotions going on. Yet written so plainly on the face of Fei and Ying that you immediately understand what is going on in their minds. Throw in the narrative(which is completely unnecessary save for the fact that Zhou Xun sounds good) and nothing is left to the imagination. Instead, you will start to focus on the visual treats. How every detail of that era, down to the awful 'birdcage earrings' are portrayed so effortlessly. You are dragged into this world of where splendor and class means so much... yet bothered because at the backdrop you know that all this glory is going to be gone in an instant.

The performances by the two leading ladies are so intense that you feel for them a lot. You will not feel sadness, sympathy, hatred, love etc. Instead, you would know exactly what causes them to do certain things.

This is one of the worst reviews i wrote. Because i have totally no idea what i am saying. I have so much to say but words fail me drastically. I should end with this note. Watch this movie if you are a Zhou Xun fan, and if you are not, you will become one after this movie.

P/S. Hate the ending. Seems like Chinese movies do not really know how to end a story.