#HolidayGiftGuide - Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

I have to tell you, I had never heard of "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" until just recently.

Then, I learned that it was not only a new movie being released, it was also a book!
(Thanks for that insight, Liz!)

I was excited to know that I would have the chance to have a Laotong Night with my friends!

Laotong or “old sames” is a special type of relationship in the Chinese Hunan culture that bonded girls together for eternity as kindred sisters. This bond is one of most precious friendship and women even shared their own secret writing they used to communicate called Nüshu.

I received the movie (and the books) and I was ready...
Only problem, my closest girlfriends don't live here close these days...

So, I watched the movie alone.
I will be mailing the book copies to a couple close girlfriends as a "thinking of you" gift...

I actually took it when I went to visit my mom to see if she wanted to watch it, she was quick to say No.

She had no interest...

Well, I am glad she didn't say yes, as there was subtitles and she would have turned it off at that point.

I will say, it was a bit slow... but, I think that in this case, it was for the benefit of the movie.

If it moved fast, you would have been rushed and not have felt the love in the movie...

With Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, there is actually two stories going on:
The sisterhood of Lily and Snow Flower... and Nina and Sophia.

Nina and Sophia are actually decedents of the long ago laotong relationship of Lily and Snow Flower.

Lily and Snow Flower's story takes place in the 1800's ... while the current story of Nina and Sophia takes place in today's time.

I loved the story of true friendship and love....

The true bond that no matter what struggles, will really never truly be broken.

If you have a best friend that is more like a sister than anything, this would be great.

You could either have a girls night and watch it together...

or, if they are far away...

Send a copy of the book and the movie as a thinking of you gift....

SYNOPSIS:

Critically-acclaimed director Wayne Wang (The Joy Luck Club) weaves a contemporary tale with an old-world fable in SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN, coming to Blu-ray and DVD November 1^st from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Inspired by author Lisa See’s bestselling novel of the same name, SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN tells a poignant tale of eternal friendship.

Growing up in 19^th century China, Lily (Bingbing Li, The Forbidden Kingdom) and Snow Flower (Gianna Jun, My Sassy Girl) are brought together in a Laotong friendship—a lifelong bond between two women who rely on each other for companionship and comfort. Amid the civil unrest and gender discrimination of the era, the pair deals with life’s hardships together until they are separated by marriage and childbirth. As sworn sisters, however, the women continue to communicate through the secret Chinese language of nushu, hiding their stories and messages within the folds of delicate silk fans.

In present day Shanghai, the Laotong’s descendants Nina (also played by Li) and Sophia (also played by Jun) struggle to maintain the intimacy of their own childhood friendship in the face of demanding careers and complicated love lives. Drawing on lessons of the past, the two modern women must understand the story of their ancestral connection or risk losing one another forever. What unfolds are two stories, generations apart, but everlasting in the notion of love, hope and friendship.

FTC Compliant Review Policy: The product(s) featured in this review were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.