Les Filles du Botaniste
Encyclopedia
Les filles du botaniste (Chinese
: 植物园, Botanic Garden) is a French
and Canadian
film, with the background set as in China
. It was released in 2006. Its English title is The Chinese Botanist's Daughters.
soldier and cannot bring his wife with him. However, An and Ming's relationship is discovered by the botanist who gets a heart attack when he finds out. Before he dies, he tells police that it was his daughter and daughter-in-law's homosexuality
"disease" that killed him. Thus, An and Ming are sentenced to death by a court and executed.
, this movie was not allowed to be shot in China. It was shot in Vietnam
instead (mainly in Ba Vi
and Ha Tay) to create a similar environment.
:
Toronto Inside Out Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival:
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
: 植物园, Botanic Garden) is a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
film, with the background set as in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It was released in 2006. Its English title is The Chinese Botanist's Daughters.
Plot summary
Set in China in the 1980s or 1990s, the film tells the story of Li Ming, a young orphan of the Tangshan earthquake, who leaves to study at the home of a renowned botanist. A secretive man and commanding father, he lives on an island that he has transformed into a luxurious garden. Anxious to share this solitary life, his daughter, An, welcomes with joy the arrival of the female student. Soon their friendship develops into a sensual, but forbidden attraction. Incapable of separating themselves, Ming and An create a dangerous arrangement to be able to continue spending their lives together: Ming marries An's brother, who is a PLAPeople's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
soldier and cannot bring his wife with him. However, An and Ming's relationship is discovered by the botanist who gets a heart attack when he finds out. Before he dies, he tells police that it was his daughter and daughter-in-law's homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
"disease" that killed him. Thus, An and Ming are sentenced to death by a court and executed.
Casting
- Mylène JampanoïMylène Jampanoï-Biography:Mylène Jampanoï was born on 12 July 1980 in Aix-en-Provence, France. She has a Chinese father and French mother. She married Indian model and actor Milind Soman in Goa in 2006. They met during the shooting of their film Valley of Flowers. The two divorced in 2009...
— Li Ming - Li XiaoranLi XiaoranLi Xiaoran is a Chinese actress. Apart from her acting career, she is also a dancer, having graduated from Beijing Dance Academy in 1993.-Filmography:-External links:* *...
— An - Dongfu Lin — Botanist
Production details
- Year: 2005
- Date of release: 2006
- Languages: ChineseChinese languageThe Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
- Filmed in VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
- Company: Europa
Controversies
Due to the sensitivity of the topic of homosexualityHomosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, this movie was not allowed to be shot in China. It was shot in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
instead (mainly in Ba Vi
Ba Vi
Ba Vì is a rural district of Hanoi in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam....
and Ha Tay) to create a similar environment.
Awards and nominations
Montréal World Film FestivalMontreal World Film Festival
The Montreal World Film Festival , founded in 1977, is one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF...
:
- Best Artistic Contribution (Guy Dufaux, won)
- People's Choice Award (Sijie Dai, won)
- Grand Prix des Amériques (Sijie Dai, nominated)
Toronto Inside Out Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival:
- Best Canadian Film or Video (Sijie Dai, won)
External links
- http://www.lesfillesdubotaniste.com/Official site in FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
] - Official Site JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
- Release information
- Les Filles du Botaniste at ELMS
- The Chinese Botanist's Daughters Interview with Dai Sijie in Tokyo Wrestling