Her Story (2024)

What an enjoyable 2 hrs in the cinema! China's much wittier feminist film than Barbie

I believe my headline says it all. I was surrounded in the cinema by many Chinese women and we were all laughing out loud together because this is by far the best Chinese feminist film I have seen. Lots of feminist films stop at the awakening stage but this film deals with the post-awakening phase of feminism; what happens after you become this capable independent woman who's also a mother and who is a divorcee and you don't miss being married, what does this woman's life look like? It deals with themes of various styles of parenting, past trauma weighing on psychological and emotional wellbeing and behaviour, and the current dilemmas of current stage feminism and gender relations and its discourse on its effects on both men and women.

The trailer doesn't make much sense so this is the synopsis without spoilers: This is a 3 female leads "slice-of-life" film who are each a half generation apart and the tangled web of relationships between each other and the various men in their lives including ex-husbands, new lovers and friends.

I so thoroughly enjoyed it that I'm watching it for a second time this coming week. The question I have is - Did I enjoy it so much because it was in language and culture I understand and will some of those jokes that seem so culturally specific translate into jokes for others who do not speak the language nor have some understanding of the culture? If you notice, there's always somewhat of a discrepancy between the douban scores (china-based) and mydramalist (diaspora) scores with few exceptions.

In short, go watch this film! For any reason you can think of - for cultural study, for laughs, for fun, for language learning, for the witty dialogue, to support female writer-directors.

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Good things, are felt in the heart

“Her” stories can sometimes feel like one step forward two steps back. With so many feminism themed stories, what makes Her Story special?

Grounded. Relatability. Chemistry.

First, Her Story found the right balance between our female leads’ strengths and weaknesses. As one of the quotes I read online before mentioned, “There is no perfection, only beautiful versions of brokenness.” For a movie that’s character focused, half the battle is won when it has main leads whom we can relate to.

In Her Story, we are able to see Tie Mei’s capable sides - upright, honest, independent, forgiving, helpful and adaptable. We also see her cowardly sides - strong facade, bad temper, insensitive and unwilling to rely on others. Not only Tie Mei, other characters have multi dimensional facades that make audience relate to them. Ah Ye, though a hopeless romantic and has low self esteem due to family upbringing, is courageous in her pursuit of love. Sure, she is the friend that we will scold for giving attention to a guy that’s undeserving. But she is also honest with herself and always willing to take the first step in relationship. The last person who forms this stable triangle is Tie Mei’s young daughter, Mo Li. A little perceptive beyond her age, she is often able to point out the crutch of the issue in a few words. Though this child also has her moody, sensitive and more innocent side befitting of a child.

With such strong characters and great actresses portraying them, the other half of the battle comes the script and messaging of Her Story.

Remember the one step forward two steps back I mentioned at the beginning? I am glad Her Story is taking two and probably three steady steps forward - which I hope will be the wave that leads feminism themed story to a positive direction.

Her story openly explore and ask us whether we should question some of the common mindsets we have been holding for awhile now - the open talk about menstrual cycle, saying No firmly to behaviours you don’t like about sex, the shallow mindset of feminism that misses the mark, the “rule” of capitalism and pragmatism, being honest about your own experience and feeling, judging people when you aren’t in their shoes, as well as being our own harsh critics and prisoner.

These aren’t anything new or groundbreaking. And they sound like heavy, sensitive topics. But I love how Her Story raises them rightfully, carefully, heartwarmingly and wittily through the chemistry and love we feel Tie Mei, Ah Ye and Mo Li share. This gives a positive, forward momentum to face these common issues we face day to day.

I generally instinctively avoid heavy themed social stories because there are often more noises than groundbreaking insights among the opinions. Her Story feels special because it contains a level of grounded optimism and wit in delivering a feminism themed story. And so, this is Her Story, moving forward.
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“Because we are optimistic and confident enough, we thus can face tragedy head on”. ~ from Her Story
“因为我们足够乐观和自信，我们才能直面悲剧”. ~ 好东西

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HERS STORIES is a more accurate title of this charming little film

Overall an extremely well made little film about a Mom, her daughter, and a young lady neighbor This should have been a 24 episode series, at least.

1. The cast is excellent. SHE AND HER GIRL FANS will love seeing Song Jia playing her smart but emotionally stunted self, with her now classic hand gestures. IMPERFECT VICTIM fans will be amazed at how lovely and fragile Zhong Chu Xi is in comparison to her frustrated cop role in that series. And (apparently) newcomer Isabella Zeng is terrific as the young daughter trying to navigate her way in the adult world of patriarchy, demanding mothers, annoying Dads, Mom's new boyfriend, etc. Really all the men are just as great as the women -- KUDOS to the casting agent.

2. The story isn't really much but a slice of life of women in China. Like a quality Woody Allen story, the story relentlessly pursues social commentary on topic. Woody is obsessed with infidelity, whereas HER STORY focuses on feminism issues. I'll say if 7 dashes of a spice does it, this had 9. It didn't ruin the recipe, but two dashes could have been removed and only made the 'discussion' tastier. Again, that's why I say this should have been a series where all these interesting women topics didn't have to be crammed into two hours.

3. The costumes, sets, lighting, camera, music -- they were all top notch. When those are this good you don't really notice them at first. Halfway through the film I realized they were all perfect. Watch this filmmaker and her crew.

4. Both posters for this film are TERRIBLE. It's neither a bright Disney affair nor some exotic floral journey. The Mom, Daughter, and friend need to share a poster, that's it.

4. To talk more about this film makes it out to be more than it is. It's just a very good little film. You watch it to observe these characters bump into each other. I've seen many American arthouse films fill a movie with quirky weirdos and sh!t goes down when they get together and eat. It's a sort of tradition of these types of films. Well, it happens here too -- BUT -- it doesn't feel like a sitcom stuffed with weirdos but instead real people in real situations.

Makes a perfect matinee. Don't hesitate. See the comment fields to find a subbed version.

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Too woke for me had potential but not my cup of tea

I recently watched Her Story, a Chinese comedy-drama (genres: comedy, drama) that runs about 120 minutes, and while I had high hopes for its heartfelt premise, it left me with mixed feelings. Directed by Shao Yihui, the film follows Wang Tiemei (Song Jia), a resilient single mother who suddenly loses her job and has to relocate with her young daughter, Nini (Zeng Mumei). In their new neighborhood, Wang Tiemei strikes up an unlikely friendship with her quirky neighbor, Xiaoye (Zhong Chuxi), who seems bubbly on the surface but is quietly battling depression. As these two women lean on each other, they form a makeshift family that includes Nini, navigating life's curveballs like meddlesome ex-husbands—Wang Tiemei's former spouse (Zhang Yu) keeps stirring up trouble—and budding romantic entanglements, all while rediscovering joy in the everyday chaos. What drew me in right away was the sweet core of a single mom building her own circle of support, turning strangers into something like family. Nini (Zeng Mumei) is an absolute standout—she's this wise-beyond-her-years little girl who's incredibly perceptive and grounded, clearly a testament to how well Wang Tiemei (Song Jia) has raised her despite the hardships. Their bond feels genuine and touching, and scenes of the trio hanging out brought some real warmth to the screen, highlighting themes of chosen family and quiet strength. That said, I was completely shocked by how "woke" the movie wound up being, which clashed with my expectations for an international film. I watch Chinese cinema hoping to escape those elements that dominate American shows, but Her Story dives headfirst into them. There's this awkward subplot where people assume Wang Tiemei (Song Jia) and Xiaoye (Zhong Chuxi) are gay just because of their close friendship, which felt out of place and forced—especially in a Chinese context where the culture isn't exactly open to alternative sexualities. It came across as shoehorned in for progressive points rather than organic to the characters. Then there's the heavy "I don't need a man" vibe permeating everything, with Wang Tiemei (Song Jia) portrayed as this ultra-strong, independent woman who's bossy and unapologetic. Her casual fling with a younger guy (Mark Chao) is explicit and promiscuous, emphasizing her sexual freedom in a way that screamed modern feminism, which I found jarring and unnecessary. The low point for me was that cringe-worthy dinner table scene where Wang Tiemei's ex-husband (Zhang Yu) and her new boyfriend (Mark Chao) get into this absurd challenge, arguing over who’s read more "woke" books and who believes men are inherently worse—it's like a parody of feminist talking points, but played straight, and it pulled me right out of the story. All these elements—promiscuous behavior, overt feminist agendas, and gay undertones—ruined what could have been a charming tale about a single mother and her adorable daughter forging real connections. Instead, it mirrors the very American tropes I try to avoid, proving that you can't always assume Asian films will steer clear of that stuff. Overall, Her Story had so much potential with its relatable setup and lovable characters like Nini (Zeng Mumei), but the heavy-handed social messaging overshadowed the heart. If you're into light-hearted stories about female friendships, it might still be worth a watch for the early charm, but brace for the ideological detours. If you like that sort of content, then you may really like this. But, if that is not your jam, then you might, like me not care for this one.

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