Monday, January 27, 2025

This Woman: Filmed in China, Produced in Malaysia, Only Released in the USA

As the central subject, or rather cast-member, Hihi Lee intends to tell her husband, all the scenes she filmed phoning her lovers, were actually made with a very gay friend. Whether he believes her or not, may depend on whether he keeps watching once the closing credits start, or if he misses her Marvel-like postscript. Regardless, her daughter might need therapy as teen when she hears some her mother’s comments regarding her unmotherly feelings. Fortunately for Lee, the docu-hybrid film she stars in has not been approved for release in China and it probably never will be under the current regime. Regardless, mother and marriage are not exactly sacred to Lee in Alan Zhang’s This Woman, which opens this Friday in New York, at the Metrograph.

Lee, adopting the “persona” of Beibei, makes no secret she essentially caved to pressure exerted by her mother and society, when she agreed to marry and have a child at age when she was not mature enough to handle either. Frankly, she often sounds like she has only now matured to the point where she recognizes her previous immaturity. She is still not great with commitment and fidelity—or maybe that is just her “character.”

In her mid-credits “stinger,” Lee is very nonchalant when asked how she thinks her husband might take the film. Most viewers will wonder more about her daughter, when she hears “Beibei” tell the camera she does not miss her daughter when she is away and only feels guilt regarding her long absences when she sees happy mothers caring for their children. Savvier viewers may wonder if Lee assumes this will never be seen in China, so she can freely confess/perform without fear of personal, familial repercussions.

Regardless, Lee and Zhang (billed simply as ALAN) make a convincing case marriage and parenting are not for everyone. That doesn’t make them bad things. However, Zhang does not merely reserve judgement on Lee’s absentee parenting style. There is a clear attempt to position it as a feminist choice, which is highly debatable. After all, her daughter is a young girl (and future woman), who needs a loving environment.

It is easy to believe being a woman is more difficult than it ought to be in contemporary China. However,
This Woman does not make the best possible case. Yet, ultimately, that does not matter. Zhang should be able to freely screen it throughout China and her native Malaysia (where screenings were also rejected), letting audiences judge for themselves. The fact that in both countries distribution is so restricted—which essentially means censorship—is the greatest outrage surrounding the film. Frankly, This Woman is not particularly recommended, but if you are at all interested, by all means, take advantage of your opportunity to see it when it opens this Friday (1/31) in New York, at the Metrograph.