FLOWERS OF SHANGHAI

SYNOPSIS: Late nineteenth-century Shanghai: within the city's elegant "flower houses," wealthy patrons and the courtesans who entertain them form a closed, ritualized world of dinners, opium, mahjong, and long-term, semi-monogamous relationships. Told through Hou Hsiao-hsien's languorous long takes, the film follows several courtesans, including Crimson, Jasmin, Jade, Pearl, and Emerald, as they navigate jealousy, loyalty, and the elusive promise of freedom.

DIRECTOR: Hou Hsiao-hsien | LANGUAGE: Mandarin, Shanghainese

YEAR: 1998 | RUNNING TIME: 113 minutes | COLOR

COUNTRY: Taiwan | GENRE: Drama