Fluentiama Perfect cast and a good story

Console best movie i've ever seen.

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Graxxor Anandro Vidhelssen The film struck a chord with me back in 2008, so much so that I reviewed it on my old "Nanchatte" Wordpress Blog back in '08...Since then my Japanese has become fluent and I have spent some years learning Chinese and tonight watched it one more time, wondering if it would bear repeated viewing after all the changes in my life.Although, 10 years ago, this film was marked due to the lesbian theme, this film has nothing to do with lesbianism... at all... It makes exactly Zero (no pun intended) statements regarding sexuality and the main characters are totally at ease with their orientations.No, this is essentially a Cathartic film about trauma and the different ways people deal with it.One of the leads tries her hardest to remember everything, to hold on to every single sweet moment, few and far between though they were, as if they were her last and most precious possessions. She believes that everything is transient and that existence is only as real as the memories of those involved. Be forgotten and you cease to exist. She surrounds herself with all her positive memories and lives almost in a dream.The other is the opposite: Stony and cold, she has cut herself off from the pain of her past by forcing herself to forget everything, and plods lifelessly through the present like a rootless tree. For her, only the present has meaning and as soon as something moves into the past, it is left behind. Contradictorily she fills her days and nights with guilt for something she perceived as her fault and as apparent punishment she denies herself any solace that would heal her.Flashbacks serve to flesh out the pasts and allow us to come to understand why they are the way they are today, one's slow reawakening from a morbid, empty state and another's persistence to never be forgotten.We learn how guilt can arise from one's actions in times of stress and cause one to blame oneself and how emotional starvation can present itself in a multitude of ways.As a father in Japan a country which has had more than its fair share of disasters, some of the scenes I found indescribably painful, the scenes where this film depicts loneliness though brief, were some of the most heart wrenching moments I've seen on screen to date and left me in tears for the second time.As for the acting, the 18 year old Isabella Leong shows remarkable adaptability for this demanding role; She plays a high school pupil, a devoted sister, a substitute mother and a passionate lover with believability and empathy.Every moment she's on the screen, she captivates and convinces the audience, pulling them into her world.Rainy manages to pull entirely different heartstrings throughout the film and bares her damaged soul in an extremely convincing fashion.The one other actress, whom for spoiler reasons I won't mention is really an unsung highlight of the movie... I found myself blubbering like a babe pretty much every single time she was on the screen...The non-linear storyline flits from present to past in a slightly uneven and disconcerting way. Some scenes appear cut short and hurried, while others appear to linger a little longer than is comfortable. Intentional no doubt, but it does make the rhythm of the film a little difficult to follow.Despite this slight incoherence and the loss of focus of the jumbled ending, Spider Lilies is without doubt, an intelligent and thought provoking drama. It makes a valiant attempt at uncovering the wide vista of human emotional survival in the face of hardship and succeeds where a lesser film would fail to involve.p.s. The subtitles on the DVD I rented were OKish but have distinct errors in places.

Teina Tokyo Overall, not a bad movie at all. Visually, it was quite nice and stylish. Despite of having a description as "a lesbian movie" it is pretty safe to watch and not vulgar. Perhaps as a music video or any kind of short movie, it would definitely perform better. But as a movie it is just not very original. Till the end I kept on finding pieces that I have seen in other places and they still did not bring any other meanings. I am not sure whether I was from the targeted age category to watch it. Storyline suggests there is either a prequel or a book to explain, yet none is actually existing. Could be a better one, if split into several movies. After it finished, I could not find anything remarkable. No, not even the soundtrack. This might be a nice thing to watch if you ever considered getting a tattoo...:)

Rony Hermanto I am never a big fan of Taiwan movie production as opposed to Korean, Hongkong or even China. Strong acting quality is hardly found in them as clearly shown in this film. I don't consider myself as hard-to-please audience as I am, in fact, a fan of indie movies. However this movie shows weak plot and slow pace. I found myself lost in the middle as to where the plot is going. The acting certainly does not make it better. Rainie's acting is sub par as she 'over-act', trying to be perky and cute. Although I have to admit she is a pleasure to look at. Isabella Leong on the other hand plays a more suitable role as a confused, sad, regretful, extremely reserved character. Overall I find this movie is a disappointment.

countymd The Spider Lilies has a deep content. It talks about how much people can remember the past and continue to pursue it. Leong is trapped in what happened in the past whereas Yeung is also trapped by her own past. The fate brought these 2 together and helped each other to build their future together from the past they shared. The story is strong but the acting is kind of weak. Not much chemistry between these two. There is not much going on when they get intimate with each other. It is not convincing the two share the same passion. I guess that is the major drawback in the film. It was sweet and bitter when the film showed their past. There is actually more emotion involved and more convincing with their past. Overall, it is a nice movie to watch.