Jasmine Women
Director: Hou Yong
Genre: Drama
Country: China
Language: Shanghainese, Standard Mandarin
Starring: Liu Ye, Lu Xun, Joan Chen, Zhang Ziyi, Jiang Wen
Jasmine Women (simplified Chinese: 茉莉花开; traditional Chinese: 茉莉花開; pinyin: Mò li huā kāi; literally "Blooming Jasmine") is a 2004 film, adapted from Su Tong's novel called Funü Shenghuo (妇女生活) which means Women's Lives. It is directed by Hou Yong, formerly a well known cinematographer. Zhang Ziyi plays the youngest of three generations of women who leads lives in Shanghai. Joan Chen plays the great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother. The film recounts this family, the mistakes they make, and a cycle that the granddaughter breaks out of. The film was well received by critics and was praised for its use of color and the performances of Zhang Ziyi and Joan Chen.
The Chinese name of the movie, Mo li hua kai, is based on a popular Chinese song Mo Li Hua, which means "jasmine flower blossom." The names of the characters in the movie are also based on this song.
The film is divided into three chapters: "grandmother, mother, and daughter"; respectively the story of Mo, Li and Hua.
18 year old Mo (Zhang Ziyi) lives with her mother (Joan Chen) who owns a small photo shop in Shanghai. She longs to become a movie star, a dream her mother does not understand. One day, Mo meets Mr. Meng
(This is information generated from a Wikipedia article, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.)