Rating - 3 out of 5 stars
This is a very good film from China.
It begins with a young headstrong girl in pre-Communist China deciding to become a mistress/wife/concubine. She was in school, but because of her father's death now doesn't have the money to continue. Her only options are this or to go to work.
She decides that this is better than hard work for the rest of her life. She marries an older rich man and moves into his compound or fortress. I'm not sure what you would call it, but it's a sprawling house with many buildings with courtyards all through, something like a small town unto itself behind walls.
She is his "fourth mistress" as they call her, since there are three others there as well. Each mistress has her own "street" branching off from the main "street" or courtyard, with servants quarters and such in the side buildings leading up to the mistress' house/room at the end of her street. It's also interesting to note that apparently this was filmed at a real historic house/compound of this type.
She is different from the other mistresses because she has had schooling and is a bit more independent, and it shows through. Though she knows her role, she's reluctant to "give in" to be a good mistress. She has trouble sleeping with the master (who's never fully shown) and didn't realise just how rigid the customs and traditions and way of life would be there.
Fourth Mistress, the main character
She meets the other mistresses as tradition demands. The first mistress, his actual wife, is old and depressed and has an older son by the master, which is very important in the culture. As the fourth mistress leaves their first meeting the first mistress whispers "such sin, such sin".
The second mistress is a bit younger but still on the older side, very nice and happy and is "on the side" of the fourth mistress and basically just wants everyone to get along. She has a young daughter by the master and is a bit looked down upon because she hasn't provided a son.
The third mistress is a former opera singer who is spoiled and who was the youngest and prettiest and had the run of the house until the fourth mistress shows up, and as such the third mistress doesn't like the fourth mistress and plots against her. Third mistress has a young son by the master and uses the fact that she does have a son to her advantage.
Third mistress, singing a song on the roof
There is a tradition that every day at a certain time, the mistresses must gather in the main courtyard, each besides her "street". At the appointed time, the master's attendant will arrive with a standing red lantern. He will take it and put it in front of the mistress who the master chooses to stay with that night. Then that mistress' street and room (all the mistress' streets and rooms are filled with hanging red lanterns) will be lighted by the lanterns while the other mistresses must leave theirs unlighted until the master chooses them.
Whichever mistress gets the lighted red lantern basically rules the roost, as the servants will obey her before the other mistresses on matters such as the menu for dinner, getting special massages and more.
A mistress' courtyard "street" with the lanterns lit,
the entrance to the mistress' room in the middle at the end
The fourth mistress also has a main servant girl (as does each mistress), but her servant girl dreams of becoming a mistress and is having an affair with the master and is very jealous of the fourth mistress because she herself wanted to be the fourth mistress.
At one point the fourth mistress stumbles across a hidden room on the roofs where she is told not to bother with, but finds out that it is used as a place to hang mistresses of past generations for "indiscretions".
Reading this, you may think the film sounds cut and dried, but oh no, it's not. Yes, it is a bit like a soap opera, what with a cast of females arguing and backstabbing over domestic affairs and such, but it's much more.
There are twists and turns and I can guarantee you that even with the detailed introduction I've written to the story, it develops in a way that one wouldn't expect after watching only the first introductory part of the film.
Also, the camera work is sublime. Almost every shot is painstakingly constructed with pinpoint precision, and I was especially impressed with how almost every shot is filmed directly centre. The symmetry of the shots was astonishing. There is a claustrophobia to the film, as almost the entire film is shot within the grey compound (which really contrasts with the warm red glow the lanterns give off for the "lucky" mistress). I could only imagine what such a director may do with a more sweeping panorama.
The fourth mistress in her room with the lanterns lit,
waiting for the master to come
From the stark beginning to the beautiful final image, it kept me entrenched in the story of these women. Their poor lives are so, well, boring and depressing and confined, but their personalities still shine through and their power struggles are intense. It reminded me of living in a lavish jail.
There are many themes to ponder such as China now, China then, oppressive patriarchy, feminism, independence, etc., etc.
One surprising film it reminds me of is Dangerous Liaisons. The intricate workings of a very detailed and rigid society and the intrigues within it - yes, though very different, they remind me of each other. In its almost sole focus on women it also reminds me of the classic The Women in a slight way, except this film does actually show men in a few minor roles, though besides the similarity of being two very good films that focus almost entirely on women, they are very different from each other.
I'd recommend this to anyone interested in a good, beautiful and historical Chinese film about women that is similar to an unpredictable soap opera but really is so much more.
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