导 演：侯 咏
编 剧：张 献
主 演：章子怡 陈 冲
姜 文 陆 毅 刘 烨
类 型：伦理/言情
出 品：万基文化传播公司
北大华亿影视文化公司
金英马影视文化公司
片 长：129分钟
Synopsis
Featuring Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Joan Chen (The Last Emperor) and Jiang Wen (Warriors of Heaven and Earth), Jasmine Women tells the story of one family's struggle to overcome its tragic history, as each daughter repeats the mistakes of her mother. Veteran cinematographer and first-time director Hou Yong sets his film in the 1930’s, 50’s and 80’s against the backdrop of an ever-changing Shanghai. The film is all the more remarkable for the fact that Zhang Ziyi and Joan Chen each play several roles. Zhang Ziyi plays the young Mo, the young Li and Hua, while Joan Chen plays Mo's mother and the older Mo. The title of the film is significant, as in Chinese, jasmine is pronounced “mo li hua”.
PLOT SUMMARY
Shanghai，the 1930’s. The young and beautiful Mo gets a chance to realize her dream of becoming a film star, but soon ends up becoming the mistress of Boss Meng, an influential film investor. For a brief time all goes well, but soon Mo’s dream of movie stardom is shattered by Japan’s invasion of China. Boss Meng abandons her to flee to Hong Kong, and Mo, pregnant and alone, has no choice but to return home, where she gives birth to her daughter Li.
Shanghai, the 1950’s. Against her mother’s wishes, Li marries working class Zou Jie. But, unable to get along with Zou Jie’s family, Li feels wronged, and decides to return home to live with her mother. Zou Jie, deeply in love with Li, moves in with them as well. However, soon her mother’s attentions to the gentlemanly Zou Jie arouse Li’s jealousy. Feeling unsafe, Zou Jie believes that a child is the only way to ensure his family’s stability. He therefore adopts an orphan for the infertile Li, a young girl named Hua. But as Hua grows up, her mother begins to experience hallucinations, and suspects that her husband is having an affair with their adopted daughter. In order to prove his innocence, Zou Jie commits suicide. As a result, Li goes insane and runs away from home.
Shanghai, the 1980’s. Raised single-handedly by her grandmother Mo, Hua returns to the city after being “sent down” to the countryside. Mo encourages Hua to marry her boyfriend Xiao Du, but Hua insists on waiting until Xiao Du graduates from university. Unfortunately, by the time Xiao Du graduates, he has fallen in love with someone else. On her deathbed, Mo tells Hua the unforgettable story of her past. Like her mother, Hua gives birth to a baby girl to be raised by herselfd single hantedly. Unexpectedly, Xiao Du returns from Japan, and he and Hua and their baby daughter are finally able to become a family.
