Berken’s review published on Letterboxd:
Film #2 Of The May 30 Days, 30 Countries Challenge - China
"She has the face of Buddha and the heart of a scorpion."
#77 on Berken's Favorite Movies Of All Time
I'm surprised that this isn't banned in China considering what a savage evisceration of tradition in a patriarchal society it is. Likewise, I wasn't expecting such a psychologically accurate portrayal of the moral gray area being boxed in by an inequitable tradition can drive people to. Being trapped by tradition is not unlike being stranded on an island separated from society, the film seems to argue, and just as likely to lead to cannibalism (okay, metaphorical in this case, but still).
Crucially, the film is able to allow its protagonist, Songlian, to sink to such moral depths because it's laid a foundation of extreme empathy, starting with the brilliantly effective introductory scene - a simple close-up shot that in a single stroke simultaneously establishes both the central conflict and Songlian's quiet resilience, even as she's nearly overcome by despair. Having an actress as naturally empathetic as Gong Li in the role certainly doesn't hurt either and I can see why she's been cast by a who's who of famed Chinese directors in her career - Zhang Yimou himself (who even married her temporarily), Kaige Chen, Stephen Chow, Jiang Wen, and Wong Kar-Wai.
Frankly, within its particular context this is a genuine Chinese masterpiece and well deserving of its reputation as one of the key touchstones of Chinese cinema history. While its subject matter may not be of the same import in the west, which has largely been spared the socially unjust traditions on display (though of course our own particular brand of racial and sexual segregation and discrimination is arguably no better) the performances are human enough and circumstances sympathetic enough for anyone to feel the pain not only of Songlian but even of her adversaries.