Zhang Yimou's 1991 period drama "Raise the Red Lantern" follows Songlian, a young educated woman who becomes the fourth wife of a wealthy household in 1920s China—played with devastating precision by Gong Li. Every night, the master chooses one wife to visit: her lanterns are lit, she receives a foot massage, and she picks the meal. The other three wait. The film traces how this system strips Songlian of her identity, her alliances, and ultimately her mind—while indicting the entire social structure that makes it possible.
Andy Nelson and Pete Wright split hard on this one—Andy calls it his favorite Zhang Yimou film and bought the soundtrack immediately after—Pete found it gorgeous but exhaustingly slow. They dig into the formal rigor of Zhao Fei's cinematography, the political allegory Zhang Yimou has always denied, and why the ritual details that might seem exotic are actually the load-bearing structure of the story—as part of their Zhang Yimou series on The Next Reel on TruStory FM. Full episode resources and transcript here.
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