MOVIE REVIEW : Feminist Flavor in ‘Lotus’

There’s a strong feminist flavor to Clara Law’s exquisite “The Reincarnation of Golden Lotus” (at the Monica and the Grande), an erotic, romantic fable set simultaneously--and seamlessly--in the past and in the present. Law is a real virtuoso, bringing terrific visual flair to boldly stylized glimpses of antiquity only to cut to the fast, decadent life of hard-edged luxury possible in today’s Hong Kong--and all the while shaping her actors’ portrayals precisely to her purpose. With only her second feature Law establishes herself in the forefront of Hong Kong’s exciting New Wave.

The ravishing Joi Wong stars as ballerina in China who becomes increasingly convinced that in an earlier life she was known as the Golden Lotus, who becomes entangled with her brother-in-law as well as a lover, a predicament that Law feels unfairly earned Wong the designation of “The number one slut in ancient Chinese history.” Golden Lotus figures in China’s most popular classical novel, the Ming dynasty’s “Chin Ping Mei”; significantly, her name also refers to the old Chinese custom of binding the feet of girls of good family.

The modern-day Lotus has the misfortune of being a promising teen-age ballerina just as the Cultural Revolution gets under way. Eventually, a rich Hong Kong businessman (Eric Tsang) touring China rescues her from a hellish existence with the offer of marriage. He’s a short, stocky innocent and a thoughtless lover, but he’s devoted and kind. Lotus sincerely appreciates the modern house and red Mercedes he gives her. But then it turns out that her driver is to be none other than the muscular young man (Lam Chun Yen) whose attraction for her brought her such grief in China; at this point, Lotus finds her flashbacks increasingly numerous--and ominous: how is she to prevent history from repeating itself?

The point of Law and her writer Lee Pik Wah in moving back and forth between past and present is not surprisingly to suggest that today’s Chinese woman, whether in Hong Kong or China, may not be that much more liberated than a bound-foot ancestor. They’re saying it’s still too easy for a victim of rape to be labeled a whore, that beauty--and especially height--can be a curse, that it can be dangerous for a Chinese woman to express her attraction to a man, that Chinese wives can still live useless, indolent lives. All this emerges entertainingly in a film filled with sensuality, beauty, some well-staged action and, most important, humor. “I may be a short man,” says Tsang upon meeting Lotus, “but I have high hopes.” “The Reincarnation of Golden Lotus” (Times-rated Mature) inspires high hopes for Clara Law, who has already completed her third feature, tentatively titled “The New Yorker.”