Les filles du botaniste

I stumbled upon this movie last week and just happened to finish it yesterday. Have to say, out of those loud, CGI filled films and those typical LGBT movies i've watched recently, "The Chinese Botanist's daughter" is a pleasant treat.

The story starts with Min Li-a half Chinese half Russian orphan who lives in the post war period of China. She's going to intern for one of the best Chinese botanist there is. And once she arrives she notices that her internship is not going to be easy. The professor is a much perfectionist person with short temper-which would be shorten a lot more when it comes to untraditional behavior. But despite all that, during her stay in the exotic garden, Li finds herself attracted to An-the botanist's daughter. Their bond grows stronger and their love blossoms alongside this beautiful landscape. However things turn ugly when Li has to marry the botanist's son in order to never leave the garden (so she could live with An after her intern ends). And the conservative society has very little place for the both of them.

The story seems solid enough, nothing extremely special or stand out here but it's soft while intense, exotic yet tender, traditional yet manages to has very different feeling. Its visual is absolutely stunning and full of desire. I have seen so many "oriental landscape" embedded films but not many comes close to be this sexy and spiritual. Of course this was filmed in Vietnam and not China but it's hardly an argument here. The director definitely has eyes and heart. The acting flows well, the characters come out quite naturally. The girls really are victims of their times, so it's sadden seeing them trying their best for love and survival. However, even though some scene can be more than cruel or brutal and makes your heart jump, it's strangely up-lifting in the kindest way. Once in a while this movie appears to be a little bit distracting with cut-away scene and long silent moment, but we all have taste and style i guess.

Of course, what's risky about this movie is that it's very cultural oriented. It's not that "if you're not Chinese, you won't understand". Surely one will know that "it was that way at that time in that country" but still, the culture aspect will make one with experience or understanding about China less depress than one who don't. Certain characters might appear two-dimensional and the cruelty shall frustrate the viewers. But it is a quite small factor, and if you're already interested, don't let this stop you watching. This is a great film that actually has style. Even if you're not a fan of LGBT films, The Chinese botanist's daughter has potential to be appealing to open-minded movie lovers. If you're against homosexuality...well, i can't see why you would wandering here and read my comment to this point. I know art can sometimes change the world and people's mind set but i'm not gonna try.

It, s a little bit sad to compare this movie with the previous project from director Dai Sijie. But the ingredients are the same, the photography, the decor, the ambiance, even the literature of Balzac is replace with the knowledge of plants. This story of love between two women in 70's China who do anything to be together forever is quit magical if you know than the director was inspire by a real story in China in the early 80's. The character are well written and the build up of the story ( a little bit slow ) is well made. The only thing that spoiled the movies is the love scene between the two girls . They are too long and too often ( OK we know they are in love ). If you put that aside than this movie have some chance to win the competition at the world film festival of Montreal ( That's where i saw it ). So don't expect " Balsac et la petite tailleuse chinoise ", instead enjoy an unusual love story in a rough time China.

This story of lesbian love in a culture that forbids it is sensual and erotic without being uncomfortably graphic. It's also slow-moving, so if you're watching just for the physical stuff, be prepared to wait a long while and then be disappointed. The cinematography is beautiful and the gradual build-up makes the romantic feelings seem more real. If you're bothered by a little male-bashing, avoid this film, because to say that both the male characters are unpleasant jerks is putting it mildly. However, interactions with the men serve to expand the story a bit beyond just the relationship between the women. I recommend this film if you can be patient with the pace.

I'm from an Asian background and I love Asian cinema and was intrigued by the beauty of the film. But after the first few minutes I realized I was in for some utter crap. The film tries to be erotic, but somehow fails. Very flimsy storyline with loads of bizarre discontinuity, black and white characters with no depth, i.e. good (the girls) versus bad (the guys). Lack of any sort of interesting dialogue, and altogether poor screenplay. Even the cinematography, which benefits from beautiful locations, is just plain tacky (oh, pretty reflections in the water!)

This film was a total drag. I cannot vouch for its authenticity, but in terms of human interest or an engaging storyline, it really suffers.

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 ....