I saw this film in Taipei upon its release, and without subtitles. The story elaborates itself brilliantly through universal imagery, exceptional acting, very nice cinematography with a rich color palette. It's told in vignettes of cruelty that depict Chinese women in extraordinary fits of suffering and grief inflicted by men. In one, a woman who is hungry prepares food for men, but is forbidden from eating it alongside them, and is made to suffer when she makes her needs known. Her grief leaps off the screen, or so it seems. Although life in an older Asian clime is depicted, the storyline never lapses into parochialism. This film affects viewers quite deeply, and though the story arc is feminist, no stridency is on hand. It's about females crying out for mere modicums of empathy and parity.