High-end brothels in 19th-Century China were euphemistically called Flower Houses, and so Flowers of Shanghai is about the life of courtesans, or "flower girls", at that time. There are several stories to follow - the emancipation of one of them is instructive if more divorced from the others - but generally, it's a patient dissection of how toxic relationships are when there's money involved. Jealousy still exists, but it can be fueled by business concerns, and when that business is your own self, emotions tend to be complex. Though the main characters have to be Tony Leung's dissatisfied but quietly suffering Master Wang and his desperate escort Crimson, played Michiko Hada who is sadly dubbed in Chinese (the only technical flaw), the surprise hero of the piece is the peacemaking uncle who realizes men must bear responsibility for a system that exploits women. Comprised of scenes done in single shots with limited camera movement, the tableaus are lit in a golden light that is at once opulent and sickly, and we never leave the confined of the Flower House, beautiful rooms suffocating their characters. As sad as it is gorgeous to look at.

A sort of soap opera about a group of courtesans in 19th-century China and their lovers. Like the women themselves, the movie's main selling point is its looks - shot in soft red light, it's one of the most gorgeous indoor films I've ever seen. 7.5/10

Blown away