Set in the decadent 1920s, Temptress Moon tells the very complicated story of a wealthy family living on the outskirts of Shanghai. Their youngest daughter, Ruyi, is brought up as a servant to her opium-addicted father and brother. Meanwhile, her brother-in-law Zhongliang has a successful, if illegal, career seducing and blackmailing married women in the city. When he comes to Ruyi's home the two fall in love, and trouble ensues.
Cinematography
Every frame looks like a fever dream you can't wake from.
Acting
Leslie Cheung and Gong Li—devastating, obviously.
Production
The mansion itself becomes a character: rotting, ornate, suffocating.
Director
Chen Kaige
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Chen Kaige made this between Farewell My Concubine and The Emperor and the Assassin, and critics were baffled by its messiness compared to his 'perfect' earlier work.
The film was banned in China for its 'negative' portrayal of pre-revolutionary decadence—ironic, since that's precisely what makes it honest.
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