A Girl from Hunan
Encyclopedia
A Girl from Hunan is a 1986 Chinese
drama film
directed by Xie Fei
and U Lan. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard
section at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival
, and was one of the first mainland Chinese films to be commercially screened in the United States. The film is based on a 1929 short story, Xiao Xiao (or Hsiao Hsiao), by author Shen Congwen
.
Left by her uncle in this remote village, Xiao Xiao is expected to be less of a wife than a mother to her new husband and lives under the domineering control of her mother-in-law. Now sixteen, Xiao Xiao catches the eye of a farmhand, Hua Gou (played by Deng Xiaoguang). She lets herself be seduced by him and soon finds herself pregnant. Knowing that the traditional village still executes women for adultery
, Xiao Xiao is desperate to abort the baby but fails to accomplish her goal.
With her pregnancy clear, Xiao Xiao faces the wrath of her mother-in-law, only to be saved by the appeal of her young husband, who has grown to love his wife, though perhaps more as a mother-figure than a spouse. When Xiao Xiao's child, a boy, is born, her mother-in-law begins the process of marrying off the child to yet another adolescent girl.
Cinema of China
The Chinese-language cinema has three distinct historical threads: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of China, and Cinema of Taiwan. Since 1949 the cinema of mainland China has operated under restrictions imposed by the Communist Party of China's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television and...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Xie Fei
Xie Fei (director)
Xie Fei is a world-recognized Chinese film director. Xie was born in Yan'an, Shaanxi Province.A graduate of the Beijing Film Academy, Xie has also taught at his alma mater as a vice-president of that institution.-Selected films:-External links:...
and U Lan. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's Official Selection. It is run at the Salle Debussy, parallel to the competition for the Palme d'Or.This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob...
section at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival
1987 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Yves Montand*Danièle Heymann*Elem Klimov*Gérald Calderon*Jeremy Thomas*Jerzy Skolimowski*Nicola Piovani*Norman Mailer*Theo Angelopoulos-Feature film competition:...
, and was one of the first mainland Chinese films to be commercially screened in the United States. The film is based on a 1929 short story, Xiao Xiao (or Hsiao Hsiao), by author Shen Congwen
Shen Congwen
Shen Congwen was the pen name of a Miao Chinese writer from the May Fourth Movement. He was known for combining the vernacular style of writing with classical Chinese writing techniques, and his writing also reflects a strong influence from western literature. He was born as Shen Yuehuan on 1902...
.
Plot
A Girl from Hunan tells the story of a willful young girl (initially played by Lin Qing and played as an adult by Na Renhua) who, at the start of the film, is about to enter into an arranged marriage with a two-year old child, Chun Guan. Xiao Xiao, the girl in question, is only twelve.Left by her uncle in this remote village, Xiao Xiao is expected to be less of a wife than a mother to her new husband and lives under the domineering control of her mother-in-law. Now sixteen, Xiao Xiao catches the eye of a farmhand, Hua Gou (played by Deng Xiaoguang). She lets herself be seduced by him and soon finds herself pregnant. Knowing that the traditional village still executes women for adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
, Xiao Xiao is desperate to abort the baby but fails to accomplish her goal.
With her pregnancy clear, Xiao Xiao faces the wrath of her mother-in-law, only to be saved by the appeal of her young husband, who has grown to love his wife, though perhaps more as a mother-figure than a spouse. When Xiao Xiao's child, a boy, is born, her mother-in-law begins the process of marrying off the child to yet another adolescent girl.
Cast
- Na Renhua - Xiao Xiao (adult)
- Deng Xiaoguang - Hua Gou
- Lin Qing - Xiao Xiao (child)
- Yu Zhang - Chun Guan
- Ni Meiling - Chun Guan's mother
- Zeng Peng - Young Chun Guan
External links
- A Girl from Hunan from the Chinese Movie Database