Pavilion of Women

Set in China in 1937, Madame Wu, on her 40th birthday decides to end her conjugal relationship with her husband and insists that he take a second wife. Her decision throws the family--one of the oldest in China--into an uproar. but she manages the transition as she does everything else in the extended family of over sixty relatives. Alone in her own quarters, she enjoys her new-found freedom and reads books denied her in the past. When her son begins English lessons, she too starts learning from the free-thinking missionary named Brother Andre, who changes her life when he falls in love with her. In 1938, Ailian (Yan Luo) is the forty years old wife of a wealthy man, Mr. Wu (SheK Sau), who belongs to the traditional Wu Family in China. In order to get rid off her sexual obligations with her husband, Ailian gives Chiuming (YI Ding), a very young concubine to him. Andre (William Dafoe) is an American priest and doctor who takes care of an orphanage and becomes the tutor of her eighteen years old son Fengmo Wu (John Cho). Father Andre starts giving classes to Fengmo, Ailian and Chiuming. Then, two forbidden loves will rise: between the priest and the first wife, and between the son and the concubine, having the invasion of China by the Japanese in a big picture. Summarizing this wonderful epic romance is not fair: it seems that this movie would be a soap opera. But it is not. This Chinese-American production is indeed a romantic drama, dealing with forbidden loves in an old and traditional China and involving different cultures. The screenplay, photography and soundtrack are very beautiful. The cast and direction are sharp. A worthwhile movie that deserves to be watched more than once. My vote is nine.