Jasmine Women, a classy cinematic adaptation of Su Tong’s novel Women’s Life (co-produced by Tian Zhuangzhuang), deals with the loves and losses of Shanghainese women over three generations, from the 1930s to the1990s. Their fate is far from pretty. The real beauty is in the telling; the life of each character is subtly mirrored in the mores of a given period, as evidenced, for example, in the tale of a single mother circa 1930s. After three years delay, Jasmine Flower (Mo Li Hua Kai in Chinese, a play on the protagonist’s names) was finally released this past April. The late release was due to objections among the film’s investors, who were unhappy with its unusual, yet intriguing, structure. The movie is broken up into three medium length films (129 minutes in total) with each segment (1930s, 1960s and 1980s) having its own distinctive flavor (and form of intrigue). Zhang Ziyi and Joan Chen play three different characters, with both actresses excelling in their multiple roles. Zhang’s performance is of special note; indeed, this 27-year-old Beijing Dance Academy graduate (who pocketed the 2004 Best Actress Golden Rooster Award), is clearly China’s most gifted young actress.
Wanji Group

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
July 2006 issue