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66th BFI London Film Festival: Hidden Letters

In my review of the terrific West African feminist drama Xalé, I discussed how feminism is often misaligned to a westernization and rejection of national identity, history and tradition. This idea, and the debunking of it, returns even more strongly in Hidden Letters, a film which directly argues against the way modern misogyny (and commercialism) has misappropriated longstanding feminist traditions and cultural artefacts. 

The film follows a number of different so-called “Nushu inheritors”, those women who write, speak and study the ancient Chinese language of Nushu, a language created in secret by women in order that they might covertly communicate with one another. This allowed women who had virtually no other means of self-expression, to communicate their desires, feelings and frustrations to one another without fear of reprisals from their husbands, and thereby find some kind of mutual solace in their oppressive lives.

Hidden Letters introduces us to three women who dedicate themselves to keeping Nushu alive, both as a language and as a symbol of emancipation, rebellion and independence. Hu Xiu is a young prodigy of the language and a nationally respected scholar. He Yanxin is one of the last “Nushu masters,” survivors of a generation who actively used Nushu for its intended purpose. Simu meanwhile, is a recent adopter of the language, just starting out on the road it will take her on, and still struggling to balance her studies with the expectations of her demanding fiancé.

Through these women and their lives, we not only see and come to share their passion for Nushu, but also witness its relevance and the dire need for its messages and teachings in modern China, where many women still are encouraged to put up with condescension from men, not pursue their own aspirations, work all day and all night, birth boys, and be grateful that they’re not (generally) beaten anymore. As Nushu goes on, belittled and diminished, much of modern China continues to replicate absurdly sexist traditional gender roles and standards of “comportment”. Xiu and other nushu inheritors like her, wish to set the record straight and rediscover its feminist teachings.

Most modern women cannot read or understand Nushu, and like all cultural artifacts, Nushu has been gentrified and stripped of its history and meaning. We see how Nushu is revered only as an exotic commodity, a tourist destination, after dinner entertainment or branding opportunity and not the act of rebellion against societal misogyny it was. He Yanxin states:

Whatever it is now, has nothing to do with the Nushu we had.

For evidence of how badly the true origins and purpose of Nushu have been obscured and perverted, one male Nushu museum director states—as he argues for the commercialization of Nushu—that “Nushu is about obedience, acceptance, and resilience”.

(Excuse me a moment while I vomit)

Some parts here are so beautifully satirical, real “you just couldn’t make it up!” moments that if someone had, I’d have said they were too on the nose. Six men and no women gather onstage to present the Nushu cultural centre’s new logo and manage to accidentally knock it off the easel during the unveiling.

No notes.

Honestly, these men must have zero self-awareness given some of the absolutely jaw-dropping drivel they come out with – “Nushu brand potatoes” indeed!—and thanks to them, Hidden Letters might actually be the funniest film of the festival, presenting one of the most succinct, articulately outraged and absurdist satires of commercialization and brand culture you’ll find anywhere.

As the film follows these women as they rediscover the language of their ancestors, we witness their rediscovery of themselves and their own desires and aspirations as they shrug off decades of indoctrination. It’s an educational, frustrating and informative journey, but it’s also a funny, inspiring and uplifting one, as we hear their stories and share their growth, rediscovering their power as women and the joy and fulfilment they can bring to themselves and each other.

Even now the festival has concluded, Hidden Letters still seems to have flown under the radar (the trailer linked above, the first video result when you search this film’s title, has less than ten likes at time of writing). I’ll admit it did for me too, I didn’t rush to see it, but I hope my fervent praise having done so will be some recompense. Do not miss this film, it was one of the most rewarding watches of the festival and one of my favorite documentaries of 2022, a year that’s already been full of fantastic ones!

Written by Hal Kitchen

A graduate of the University of Kent, Reviews Editor Hal Kitchen joined Film Obsessive as a freelance writer in May 2020 following their postgraduate studies in Film with a specialization in Gender Theory and Studies. In November 2020 Hal assumed their role as Reviews Editor. Since then, Hal has written extensively for the site, writing analytical and critical pieces on film, and has represented the site at international film festivals including The London Film Festival and Panic Fest.

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