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Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Play trailer Poster for Snow Flower and the Secret Fan PG-13 2011 1h 43m Drama History Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
22% Tomatometer 89 Reviews 48% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Parallel stories tell of two 19th-century Chinese women -- bound together for eternity -- and their descendants who struggle to maintain their friendship amid 21st-century demands.
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Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Critics Reviews

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Derek Malcolm London Evening Standard 11/04/2011
3/5
The whole looks lush, but it doesn't deliver as it should. Go to Full Review
Andrew Pulver Guardian 11/03/2011
2/5
Here is a very self-conscious attempt to bridge the US-China divide through the medium of glossy, handsomely mounted cinema. Go to Full Review
Paul Weedon Little White Lies 11/03/2011
1/5
Visual flourishes aren't enough to detract from a confused plot and mawkishly sentimental overtones. Go to Full Review
Jack Fleischer Battleship Pretension 03/24/2021
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a multigenerational, pan-language film, about the potential depth of a relationship between two women. Go to Full Review
Jason Best Movie Talk 12/06/2020
What hobbles the film is the screenplay's overly strenuous efforts to bind its parallel stories together. Go to Full Review
Felicia Feaster Charleston City Paper 01/17/2020
Emotionally overwrought and fleetingly campy. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Aluna U Sep 12 Snow Flower and the Secret Fan explores two intertwined stories of deep female friendship, connected through the ancient Chinese tradition of Laotong and the secret language Nu Shu. As Nina reflects on her bond with Sophia—now in a coma—she uncovers a historical tale mirroring their own, revealing how love, sacrifice, and silence shape lifelong connections. Though the narrative flows between timelines, the film ultimately highlights how true friendship transcends generations and cultures. Read the full review here: (Indonesian version : alunauwie.com) See more Daniel G 02/21/2023 Languid movie that highlights Chinese culture and traditional sisterly friendship in different periods of time in a moving manner. Many characters only superficially depicted, but sufficiently described. Surprised that did so badly among critics and even the audience. See more @jeroduptown 10/15/2021 Snow Flower parallels two friendships, but not very well. The older story of two girls that both had bound feet and by lautong is rich - but the film has trouble translating it into the modern day story. See more 10/22/2020 It made me think my best friend. We've been friends for many years and no matter the distance or time apart, each time we connect it's like no time has passed. I really enjoyed this movie. Smiles, laughter, wtf and tears! See more lariste l 01/08/2019 Worthless - 21st century royal/overlord Rupert Murdoch paid Fox Searchlight to release this historical Chinese picture to make back it's earnings, presumably, because the producer is his wife, or one of his series of wives. Tastefully done though, like visiting a nicely decorated living room in the best part of town, but production values aren't what rewards audiences; dramatic power, emotion and cultural impact are, or at least entertainment value. See more 09/19/2015 The novel by Lisa See was beautiful, deep. It really transports the reader to 19th century China. The film was choppy, vague, and confusing. Attempting to weave another, modern, story-line in with the original story took away time that could have been used for character and story development. You don't get to know the two main characters or the close nature of their relationship, which is the entire theme of the film. You don't get an idea of what life in 19th century China might have looked like. It left me disappointed and had I not read the book, I don't think I would have understood what the film was about at all. See more Read all reviews
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

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Movie Info

Synopsis Parallel stories tell of two 19th-century Chinese women -- bound together for eternity -- and their descendants who struggle to maintain their friendship amid 21st-century demands.
Director
Wayne Wang
Producer
Wendi Murdoch, Florence Sloan
Screenwriter
Angela Workman, Ronald Bass, Michael Ray
Distributor
Fox Searchlight
Production Co
Big Feet
Rating
PG-13 (Drug Use|Disturbing Images|Sexuality|Violence)
Genre
Drama, History
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 15, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.3M
Runtime
1h 43m
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