Hidden Letters (2022) User Reviews

Beautiful and internationally relevant.

[ErinSorenson · 10/10 · 17 October 2022]

Stunningly beautiful reflection of women's strength and creativity. I had never heard about Nushu and my world is now richer as a result. The inspiration that Hidden Letters brings, spans borders and generations.

The director, Violet du Feng has captured a point in history when Nushu re-emerges through the eyes of an artist while simultaneously, irreverent marketing strives to exploit Nushu as a 'brand.'

I love this film as it allows the viewer to ponder the restriction of the female experience and relevance to one's life. It serves as a testimony to history's relevance to our lives, as women, today.

Love it!

[xyinnewyork · 10/10 · 4 November 2022]

Really appreciated the camera use of the film. Sometimes the camera was placed in front of the characters, not moved. We witness the older mentor, whose face wrinkled like a walnut, reading a poem written by the student, in hidden letters, showing how much respect the student has to her mentor.

The mentor pointed out the spelling mistakes in the poem. The student was embarrassed-not by her mistake, but by the rare gestures that she was so brave to take, as a Chinese person, to reveal her true emotion and gratitude to another person.

The mentor laughed and assured her that she also, wouldn't point out mistakes so bluntly, to anyone else, which is also rare for a Chinese person to do. She only did this because the mentor knows the student appreciates this level of scrutiny and dedication that they both have, to preserve the integrity of the Hidden Letters.

The camera didn't move one bit. I was crying like a baby.

A love letter from the film crew to their mother country.

Highly recommended.

A very powerful female documentary.

[f-bruce · 10/10 · 2 November 2022]

A great film with strong narrative arc. Astonishing. Through the shots I could tell the director handled her relationship with the interviewees well.

It's also a poetic film with great images. Moody shots well expressed the contained and depressed emotions of the grandma who had to live a depressing life at that particular time. The dusts floating in light was a metaphor of her emotional space. Another impressive shot was a low angle shot to the sky. It got me goosebumps.

The sound design and the music in the end was amazing: women facing camera with great music and chanting from the "hidden letters". Got me teared up.

Immediately I recommended this film to my wife and we watched it together. And our heart grew closer. As a guy I feel It's hard to maintain balance in marriage and there indeed exist inequalities. It's very delicate and we had to learn to deal with it. I love this film because it's helpful to me.

Documentary with strong movie sense

[g-86470 · 10/10 · 7 November 2022]

I heard for the first time that there is such a password film about communication between women. If it is a documentary, it is better to say it is a film. The film is very discursive, no matter from the lens or narrative to editing, it is very good. It was hard to see the mother of the hero in the film carrying a large piece of wood. At the end of the film, it is sung that: they are not allowed to sing loudly, but sing quietly. How can others hear their own voice? The dandelion seeds fly to the distance, and they carefully fall to the distance like a woman's life. I like that window very much, and the music gives the film another vitality!

Very touching movie

[michelleettinger · 10/10 · 16 December 2022]

I watched it last week with some friends. I was very touched by the friendship showed in the movie. The director did a really good job as the movie makes you feel you are in it. You can feel the emotions and their feelings. It is a very good movie, worth to watch and share with your friends and family. It is almost sad to me to admit that the movie is still a lot women's true life. They are not being treated equally, they are struggling to find their own independent path. But by supporting each other, by educating the public, we can make this a better world for everyone. I hope you will like it as much as I did.

Carry forward female culture

[zhanglu-84210 · 10/10 · 7 November 2022]

A word, a history, a language, a sustenance, a ray of sunshine in the dark, let the secular oppressed women regain hope. The picture is far-reaching and poetic, and the story is meaningful and thought-provoking. A good film, with a compact story and rich content, is a rare film. Through this film, we can deeply understand Chinese women and women's culture, and like the girl Hu Xin in the video very much, A gentle and elegant Chinese woman, despite her misfortune and various pressures, was comforted and encouraged by a group of sisters around her.

It is hoped that the film will be more widely disseminated, arouse more attention and give more help to women.