Flowers of Shanghai
dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien · 1998
The experience of being alive often involves navigating complex social structures and personal desires within confined spaces.
Plot
At the end of the 19th century, Shanghai is divided into several foreign concessions. In the British concession, a number of luxurious “flower houses” are reserved for the male elite of the city. Since Chinese dignitaries are not allowed to frequent brothels, these establishments are the only ones that these men can visit. They form a self-contained world, with its own rites, traditions and even its own language. The men don’t only visit the houses to frequent the courtesans but also to dine, smoke opium, play mahjong and relax. The women working there are known as the “flowers of Shanghai”.
Why watch
"Flowers of Shanghai" envelops viewers in the lush, melancholic world of 19th-century Shanghai's flower houses, where fleeting intimacy and societal constraints intertwine. With its painterly visuals and contemplative pacing, this film is a poetic exploration of loneliness and desire within a rigid social framework.
Talking points
- the impact of colonialism on personal relationships
- the role of women in historical contexts
- the aesthetics of slow cinema
- the nature of desire and isolation