Why do we feel compelled to ruin what we originally fall in love with by attempting to change it? This juxtaposed adaptation, or should I say, mistranslation of Lisa See’s best-selling novel, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by director Wayne Wang (The Joy Luck Club) could have been just as successful on film had it not been for the creative team, whom all claim to have loved the saga, yet decided to take a work of art and dramatically change it.
The story begins in 19th Century China, where two young girls, Snow Flower and Lily, endure the excruciating procedure of foot-binding to achieve itty-bitty feet (a necessity to secure prosperous husbands). Based on the stars and regardless of their social status, they are destined to become life-bonded sisters and so they meet and their lesson begins in the secret language of Nushu (written on a white silk fan only they can interpret).
In the modern day version, worry wart, Nina (Li Bing Bing) is a successful businesswoman who postpones her move to the Big Apple when she receives a call that her former bestie, Sophia (Gianna Jun), has been in an accident and is now in a coma. Soon after, Nina discovers that her free spirited friend had been writing a story of a past friendship and begins comparing their relationship to that of her ancestors in the story…and so the tale of Snow Flower (also played by Jun) and Lily (Bing Bing) unfolds…and so do the inconsistencies.
With the constant shifting between the past and present, one can’t help but compare the stories and dual roles these brave actresses take on. Unlike the scenes between Snow Flower and Lily, which I much enjoyed, those of Nina and Sophia, pale by comparison. As the story evolves so does my love for the period portion of the film and the original characters, Snow Flower and Lily, while still not caring much about Nina and Sophia at all, a relationship that, at times, just seems obsessive.
Hugh Jackman livens things up by playing Sophia’s Australian Boyfriend but the bit part (which showcases his ability to sing in Chinese) isn’t enough to rescue the film and comes across as a marketing ploy to draw in female viewers.
Bing Bing and Jun, beautiful and talented actresses, do the best they can with the material and, if nothing else, the film will bring them to the attention of American audiences. Wang effectively gets his point across that the powerful bond of female friendship transcends generations. Throughout time, some things change while others remain the same, like the metaphor of foot binding to a scene in which Lily kicks of her Louboutins and rubs her aching feet. (My mom always did tell me women must suffer in order to attain beauty, while I winced as she combed my tresses).
It’s still a shame that instead of faithfully adapting See’s poignant and beautifully written exploration of a deep female friendship, loyalty, and a love that knows no bounds, the film’s creative team decided that adding a modern parallel story would make it better. Well, guess what? It’s not.
A preview screening of the film at the Paley Center for Media was followed by a panel discussion featuring Wang, Bing Bing, Producer Florence Sloan, and See, who was asked about how she felt seeing her book on the screen. “One writer has one vision and one universe, as an artist it’s what you hope, to give one art form to another and have him create his vision, but a film can never duplicate a book.” My sentiments exactly.
