Snow Flower Snow and Fan Secrets is loosely based on the novel of the same name by a Chinese American author named Lisa Sedis. The changes in the film add confusion to a beautiful story set in 19th century China.
Both versions, the film and the novel, explain the present-day practice of binding the feet of large children as prevent the growth of the feet, which will make them attractive to a rich prospective husband. Another use is also described. Chinese girls are given a laotong which binds them in friendship forever. The conciliator who joins them is also responsible for arranging marriages.
The snow flower and the lily are described in the story of laotongs. Snow Flower is from a wealthy family while Lily has a poor background. He leads the lily above the station of life, and the sun flower under her husband has a miserable marriage. The girls, however, continue to live a separate and distant life.
To accomplish this, Snow Flower and Lily use an ancient secret language called nu shu that allows them to send messages to each other by writing in fan pockets that secretly pass messages back and forth to them. They talk about marriages, children, loneliness, social movements and political upheaval.
Here, the novel and the veil part of the way. The screenwriters, perhaps to achieve a greater degree of appeal, add new characters who live in the present day. They are Sophia and Nina. Confusion arises for the audience because both sets of girls are played by the same actresses. Flashbacks add to the puzzle as the story moves between two centuries.
Sophia and Nina learned about their ancestors, Snow Flower and Lily, and decide to become laotong. Today’s hectic culture in the American setting does not foster the type of friendship that Snow Flower and Lily experienced. Sophia and Nina are separated until a traffic accident brings them back together.
After reading the novel a few years ago, I had difficulty trying to follow each of the plots that developed in the film. It is disappointing to experience parallel stories, knowing that it bears no resemblance to the original story. It’s also hard to believe that Lisa Sedis allowed the novel to be shaped like this.
Movies in Chinese culture got a big boost with Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club. Perhaps the Snow Flower screenwriters felt they had another winner in that line. Their efforts failed as the new version of Lisa Sedis did not perform well in the box office.
Sources:
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2011)
www.imdb.com/title/tt1541995
