Movies: Raise the Red Lantern

I wasn't intending to watch this but that I did. It just happened to pop up on my Youtube feed. Without any pre-notion about the movie, it turned out to be very enjoyable.

For one, Gong Li plays the heroine and it's no wonder a friend of mine remarked that she is an actress who can really command the screen even without talking. The movie itself is simple enough. A girl is forced into marriage as the third wife of a wealthy man at the behest of her stepmother. There is a trailer in the movie which gave away most of the  plot twists. Thus, I recommend not watching it and just got for the movie instead. Of course, there is no big bang or much of any action. In fact, there isn't even any sex scene. Heck, cleavage is zero and the only eye candy here is Gong Li herself.

As a movie set during a time when it is acceptable for men to have multiples wives living underneath the same roof in harmony (faked or not), there are many customs that are symbolic to the truth of their living arrangement. The said red lantern is one of a struggle for affection, attention and those ultimately lead to power. Despite not wishing to be caught up in the race, Songlian (Gong Li's character) is soon enveloped with a desire to compete with disastrous result.

Some may find this dated and sadly slow. Personally, it was captivating enough for me to want to watch it till the very end.