Two sisters meet again after long years of separation. Fei (Zhou Xun), an illegitimate child, had been forced to leave their home and constrained to poverty, while Ying (Vivian Wu) grew up surrounded by richness and affection. Now Ying calls her step sister to come back. The father has just passed away and his will requests the presence of both siblings and their reconciliation: otherwise the inheritance won't take effect.To remake the bond is far from easy. There is genuine attraction between them, based on nostalgia for the times of early childhood, balanced by mutual suspicion. And, from the part of Fei, there is accumulated frustration which nurtures irresistible desires of revenge. She seduces Ying's lover and what follows is a pervert erotic competition pushing any certitudes toward the realm of moving sands.It is a movie in which the loss of certitudes plays on multiple plans. There is the loss of certitudes that have kept so far the moral universe of Fei. In the same time, as the action takes place in 1949's China, the Communists will soon take control over the country, and all certitudes of the universe where Ying and Fei have lived and competed will be lost. The two conflicting sisters, as well as their lover, will face a new world where they will be just bourgeois elements, with all consequences.This movie calls in my mind one of the masterpieces of Chinese cinema , the 1948's Spring in a Small Town (and its superb 2002's remake crafted by Tian Djuang-Djuang): there also the tumult of passions inside of a family will be brutally ended by the coming Communist regime. The difference is that in Spring in a Small Town the heroes are not aware of their near future, while in Beauty Remains the whole fabric of passion is on the backdrop of Communists' advancement. Maybe also Dr. Zhivago would come to mind.In such times of turmoil, on a personal level, also on the level of your country, is it anything that remains, when all else is lost? The movie of Ann Hu comes here with a great answer: when hope dies, and love fades, beauty remains. We can loose everything which is in our control, or in the control of society, but nobody has power on what comes from nature! So, it is a movie about beauty, which cannot be lost, cannot be taken away. That means that beauty accompanies us in all our tribulations. Only we should observe that the way beauty takes shape depends on the state where we are. There is beauty in happiness, there is beauty in tragedy; there is beauty in times of accomplishments, there is beauty in decay.I found a fascinating text about beauty in a Japanese blog.. It is about the multitude of words that Chinese language uses for various nuances of beauty. When it comes to beauty in decay, a Chinese can use either "duo luo mei" or "tui fei mei." The first term, that "duo-la-mei," designates a beauty that reminds us of a past state of innocence and induces a feeling of nostalgia (while in the same time perversely suggesting that the roots of the present decay were already there, in the longtime lost purity). As for the second term, "tui-fei-mei," in this case beauty comes from our awareness that end is near. It is the superb beauty of the gambler who cannot escape his fate, as it is the special beauty of aristocracy in the dawn of revolution.Beauty Remains was compared with some movies of Wong Kar-Wai: think at The Hand (WKW's episode in the triptych Eros), or at Days of Being Wild, and not only. The uncanny beauty of the images expresses the special beauty of those characters in decay, that "tui-fei-mei."

This movie borrows a lot from Wong Kar Wai in my opinion, mostly from 2046 and In the Mood For Love.It does a great job mixing the music with visually beautiful cinematic shots, mixing in narration with on screen action, and in some ways has a simpler story than the stories Wong Kar Wai tells.I enjoyed the flashbacks that showed the girls when they were young.I always wonder though why the man who both girls fall in love with is so attractive, because he doesn't seem to have that much going for him. He is not that attractive, although he does seem philosophical and somewhat kind.The music is particularly significant because it blends so well with the sensuous visuals. The soft shots of the women bathed in an almost ethereal light are stunning.I am not sure of the ending though. The man walks away and goes we know not where, but true to character there is another woman ready to give herself to him but he can't make a decision about her either and walks away. I am sure this is just for theater because in real life he would have gotten on the boat with her and escaped the chaos about to ensue.One of the reviewers said that the Chinese have terrible endings, they just don't know how to end a movie. I disagree, I love Chinese movies because most of them don't have a fake Hollywood happy ending. And they make you think.It's a movie you want to see again, because it is not easy.My one negative comment about this movie is that the subtitles are in white and when juxtaposed onto a white screen there is no way in hell if you don't understand Mandarin that an English speaking viewer can see the words.

...there's a Fei. And a Ying Zi and good old Mr. Huang.The pleasure in this movie is in the senses, with great visuals, artistic camera work and period western music.Ying and Fei are half-sisters thrown together at the will of their father. Literally. Fei was his child by a maid who was subsequently dismissed, although Fei's schooling has been supported. At his death he stipulates a reconciliation (of sorts) before Ying may inherit the estate.The story gains a stronger emphasis as the inevitable love triangle develops with Mr. Huang, Ying's "fiance". As in so many of these doomed relationships Mr. Huang wishes "I want them both" to which a friend says "then have them both, you're the man".The plot features yearning for family and for affection, played out without one ever being sure of the authenticity; the characters' motives are sometimes stated but more often only indicated by a glance, a shift in posture or a change in framing, often exquisitely done.The characters pursue their destinies (always with great visual style) while almost oblivious to the impeding doom of their society collapsing, their fates foreshadowing the great changes soon to take place in Mao's China.

I am a Big Zhou Xun fan. And the reason i picked up this DVD is so that I could catch a glimpse of my goddess. Not contented to be a star chasing freak... I decided that i should watch the show without any prejudice and biasness. But in the end. All i could think about was Zhou Xun's eyes. So haunting and defiant.This show is about the two sisters Fei(ZHou Xun) and Ying(Vivian Wu). Ying needs Fei just as much as Fei needs Ying. Both has an agenda. yet... they also bond emotionally. This causes a tip in the psychological scale. Throw in a dashing Mr Huang(Wang Zhiwen) and you have all the emotional tensions running wild...This story is very simple. Yet it is not simple. There are so many emotions going on. Yet written so plainly on the face of Fei and Ying that you immediately understand what is going on in their minds. Throw in the narrative(which is completely unnecessary save for the fact that Zhou Xun sounds good) and nothing is left to the imagination. Instead, you will start to focus on the visual treats. How every detail of that era, down to the awful 'birdcage earrings' are portrayed so effortlessly. You are dragged into this world of where splendor and class means so much... yet bothered because at the backdrop you know that all this glory is going to be gone in an instant.The performances by the two leading ladies are so intense that you feel for them a lot. You will not feel sadness, sympathy, hatred, love etc. Instead, you would know exactly what causes them to do certain things.This is one of the worst reviews i wrote. Because i have totally no idea what i am saying. I have so much to say but words fail me drastically. I should end with this note. Watch this movie if you are a Zhou Xun fan, and if you are not, you will become one after this movie.P/S. Hate the ending. Seems like Chinese movies do not really know how to end a story.