X
  • 2011
  • PG-13
  • Fox Searchlight Pictures
  • 1 h 44 m
  • 2011
  • PG-13
  • Fox Searchlight Pictures
  • 1 h 44 m

Summary In 19th-century China, seven year old girls Snow Flower and Lily are matched as laotong – or "old sames" – bound together for eternity. Isolated by their families, they furtively communicate by taking turns writing in a secret language, nu shu, between the folds of a white silk fan.In a parallel story in present day Shanghai, the laotong...

Directed By: Wayne Wang

Written By: Angela Workman, Ron Bass, Michael Ray, Lisa See

  • 2011
  • PG-13
  • Fox Searchlight Pictures
  • 1 h 44 m
  • 2011
  • PG-13
  • Fox Searchlight Pictures
  • 1 h 44 m

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Metascore Mixed or Average Based on 31 Critic Reviews
42
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 8 User Ratings
7.5
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary In 19th-century China, seven year old girls Snow Flower and Lily are matched as laotong – or "old sames" – bound together for eternity. Isolated by their families, they furtively communicate by taking turns writing in a secret language, nu shu, between the folds of a white silk fan.In a parallel story in present day Shanghai, the laotong...

Directed By: Wayne Wang

Written By: Angela Workman, Ron Bass, Michael Ray, Lisa See

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 31 Critic Reviews
42
13% Positive
4 Reviews
65% Mixed
20 Reviews
23% Negative
7 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 31 Critic Reviews
42
13% Positive
4 Reviews
65% Mixed
20 Reviews
23% Negative
7 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
70
Jul 13, 2011
So strong are the emotions - and, yes, the melodrama - that Snow Flower and the Secret Fan represents one of Wang's best films to date.
By Kirk Honeycutt FULL REVIEW
58
Aug 3, 2011
Wang's high regard for women is intact, plus a keen eye for period detail making the 19th century sequences lovely to observe. But it's nothing we haven't seen before.
By Steve Persall FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 8 User Ratings
7.5
63% Positive
5 Ratings
38% Mixed
3 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 8 User Ratings
7.5
63% Positive
5 Ratings
38% Mixed
3 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

50
Jul 21, 2011
The gentle erotic undertow in the friendship of Snow Flower and Lily has been toned down, and replaced by … niceness.
By Michael Phillips FULL REVIEW
50
Jul 14, 2011
While the action flashes back and forth in increments of centuries, years or months, we're adrift in the here and now, trying to get a grip on the characters and their relationships, yet finding it loosened with every new dislocation.
By Joe Morgenstern FULL REVIEW
40
Jul 23, 2011
Wayne Wang directed "The Joy Luck Club," a fine, sentimental look at Chinese women. Now he presents another look at Chinese sisterhood in Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, and it feels like a shallow imitation: Imagine getting Kate Hudson when you expect Goldie Hawn.
FULL REVIEW
38
Jul 27, 2011
Despite the locations and the informative narrative, almost every scene is missing that spark that would bring the characters to life and immediacy to the story.
By Roger Moore FULL REVIEW
25
Jul 14, 2011
This latest from director Wayne Wang, about the friendship of two young women, travels from 2011 to 1997 to 1829 to 1838, in search of a reason for the audience to keep watching and start caring. That reason is never found.
By Mick LaSalle FULL REVIEW
See All 31 Critic Reviews

Details

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Production Company IDG China Media
Release Date Jul 15, 2011
Duration 1 h 44 m
Rating PG-13
Genres
Website http://www.foxsearchlight.com/snowflowerandthesecretfan/
View All Details

Awards

Shanghai Film Critics Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Chinese American Film Festival (C.A.F.F.)
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Weibo Awards Ceremony
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

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