But what makes this realization even more sorrowful is that we come to see how Nüshu is commercialized and exploited in the modern era. It better defines the sisterhood that kept these words and stories alive. When understanding even a fraction of the history of women’s subservience in Chinese society, which is laced artfully throughout the experience, this small revelation exponentially compounds the misery behind the beautiful phonetic pronunciation. One of the most poignant moments within Hidden Letters is when Nüshu master He Yanxin - who is featured prominently - expresses how her mother’s version of Nüshu was far weightier than hers. It is a form of pure expression, reflecting heavily on the society which forced the language’s creation. With every moment we come to better understand Wu and Hu, we also come to better understand Nüshu is beyond a language. These paths are interwoven with how Nüshu is being brought into and used in the modern era. The film follows Wu and Hu through pivotal times of their lives, parsing how Nüshu helps them take stock of who they are and who they want to be. Through this dichotomy, they explore their collective love for Nüshu - a thousand-year-old syllabic text created by Chinese women who had been forbidden for generations to read or write. The documentary showcases Simu Wu and Xin Hu, two Chinese women balancing their lives as independent modern women against the overwhelming burden of social tradition.

Taking the niche history of a secret language invented between Chinese women, filmmakers Violet Du Feng and Zhao Qing have painted a magnificent portrait of women in China, exponentially magnifying its scope to include women around the world. TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL 2022 REVIEW! I sincerely wish I possessed the eloquence to accurately articulate the beauty, sorrow, and power that resonates within the letters, poems, and songs hallmarking the journey in Hidden Letters.

The hidden movie review