Nüshu is considered to be the world’s only writing system that is created and used exclusively by women. Originating in China’s Jiangyong county in the nineteenth century, it gave rise, over time, to a traditional female culture, which is endangered today. The country’s local and national authorities are working to revive it. (source: Unesco). Violet Du Feng directs a documentary that takes this language as its base, by presenting the lives of two of its practitioners today: divorced museum guide, Xin Hu, and a soon-to-be-married musician, Simu Wu, focusing, though, more on the place of women in Chinese society than the actual Nushu.
“Hidden Letters” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
Xin Hu works as a tour guide and is also a certified Nushu inheritor, frequently being awarded for her contributions in the legacy of the language, including teaching it to young girls, while...
“Hidden Letters” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
Xin Hu works as a tour guide and is also a certified Nushu inheritor, frequently being awarded for her contributions in the legacy of the language, including teaching it to young girls, while...
- 1/21/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
In Violet Du Feng’s “Hidden Letters,” an elder says women “were only slaves to men” before the concept of gender equality was introduced by Mao’s Great Push Forward — and that was only 60 years ago. This graceful feature, which just made the Oscar documentary shortlist, provides an angle on which to consider how far women’s roles have — and haven’t — evolved in Chinese society since.
That angle is the “secret script” of Nushu, a written form invented by and used for communication between women otherwise forbidden to read or write. Feng’s engaging film offers a gently questioning perspective on whether the issues this now-quaint private language addressed retain currency in today’s China, where economically driven progressive attitudes may as yet only superficially impact deep-seated cultural ones. “Letters” commenced a limited U.S. theatrical release on Dec. 9, launches on VOD Dec. 23 and has a PBS playdate slotted...
That angle is the “secret script” of Nushu, a written form invented by and used for communication between women otherwise forbidden to read or write. Feng’s engaging film offers a gently questioning perspective on whether the issues this now-quaint private language addressed retain currency in today’s China, where economically driven progressive attitudes may as yet only superficially impact deep-seated cultural ones. “Letters” commenced a limited U.S. theatrical release on Dec. 9, launches on VOD Dec. 23 and has a PBS playdate slotted...
- 12/30/2022
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Hidden Letters Review — Hidden Letters (2022) Film Review from the 21st Annual Tribeca Film Festival, a movie directed by Violet Du Feng and Qing Zhao, written by Violet Du Feng and John Farbrother and starring Xin Hu, Simu Wu and He Yanxin. Filmmaker Violet Du Feng’s new picture, Hidden Letters, tells audiences a remarkable [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: Hidden Letters: A Remarkable Story of a Secret Language [Tribeca 2022]...
Continue reading: Film Review: Hidden Letters: A Remarkable Story of a Secret Language [Tribeca 2022]...
- 6/15/2022
- by Thomas Duffy
- Film-Book
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.