SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN

SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN is an ode to the redemptive and transformative power of friendship, regardless of social class.

Based on the bestselling novel by Lisa See, the movie portrays the lifelong friendship between Nina and Sophia in modern-day Shanghai, and, in parallel, the friendship vow taken by Lily and Snow Flower in 19 Century China in Hunan Province at a time when women had virtually no rights and the painful practice of foot-binding (wherein the feet of young girls are broken and tightly bound so that they remain as small and infantile as possible) was the only means to ensuring a good marriage. In all of this, the movie takes a significant and innovative departure from the novel, while remaining true to its spirit and meaning. In See’s book, an 80-year old woman narrates her relationship with her “old same” (or laotong), the female friend to which she was sworn for life before her marriage. The audience learns how the women communicated in Nu Shu, a special language passed down by women from generation to generation, by writing in the folds of a white paper fan. The narrator and her friend suffer a falling out that leads to the end of their friendship. It is late in life, when the narrator’s friend is long dead, that the story takes place.

In Director Wayne Wang’s movie version, the two main female characters, Nina (a successful Shanghai business woman) and Sophia (whose wealthy family lost everything during a stock market crash and her father’s subsequent opium addiction) get a second chance at the friendship of a lifetime.

Sophia falls into a coma after a bicycle crash. Her sworn childhood friend, Nina, delays an important promotion abroad to stay at Sophia’s side in the hospital. The two girls, like the characters in See’s novel, have not spoken in months. Faced with the very real possibility that Sophia may die, Nina revisits their friendship and vows to find out what Sophia’s life has been since they last spoke.

In searching through Sophia’s possessions, Nina finds the pages of an historical novel Sophia is writing, SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN. In the novel, Sophia retraces their own friendship by telling the story of her ancestor, Snow Flower, and her friend, Lily. Nina’s flashback memories of the times she and Sophia shared together before their fight, coupled with the parallel narrative set in 19th Century China, converge to form the unconventional but powerful dual storyline.

Wayne Wang’s genius in SNOW FLOWER is to treat exceedingly difficult, and oftentimes gruesome topics (such as foot-binding, domestic abuse, dysfunctional families, and escapism via alcohol and drugs) in such a way that the horrors of 19th Century China and the immorality of present-day Shanghai fade in comparison to the sacrificial friendships of the four women in this story. Watching the movie, viewers come away with the peaceful sense that, no matter the age or the constraints it brings with it, great friendship rooted in compassion, sacrifice, and the pursuit of the good of the other, can endures and overcome any woes constructed by ancient or modern societies alike. This message of hopefulness and forgiveness is what Wang apparently tries to communicate by creating a fresh framing narrative for the story and by offering Nina and Sophia (as well as Lily and Snow Flower) a second chance.

With all this in mind, SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN is not a movie for children or young teenagers. There is some strong sexual content, strong intense violence (some of which is implied) and substance abuse themes. These negative elements merit extreme caution. Still, some older viewers who are in the mood to slow down and watch an ultimately morally uplifting, hopeful story will find much to like in SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN.