"Raise the Red Lantern"
1991
Directed by Zhang Yimou

Prisons come in many forms.  Some are encased with iron bars.  But those bound by silken threads can be just as impenetrable.  From Zhang Yimou, "China's most daring and exciting director" (Los Angeles Times), comes an Oscar®-nominated masterpiece of stark beauty and fatal intrigue.
Starring the beautiful Gong Li as a 20-year-old college student who is betrayed by her mother and "sold", to become the fourth wife of a wealthy, powerful aristocrat. Her presence occasions a series of bitter jealousies and disputes with the three other wives. A fascinating work about sex, oppression and patriarchy. 
Originally banned in mainland China for its dark depiction of Chinese society, Raise the Red Lantern is "a film of astonishing beauty and terror" (Los Angeles Times) that will captivate you from start to finish.  Mandarin with English subtitles. 125 minutes.