''Woman Sesame Oil Maker'' () is a 1993 Chinese film. In the English speaking world it has been released in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

under the title ''Women from the Lake of Scented Souls'' (the more literal translation) and more recently on DVD as ''Woman Sesame Oil Maker''. It is adapted from a novel by

Zhou Daxin Zhou Daxin (; born 1952), also known by his pen name Pǔdù (). He is a Chinese novelist who was the president of Henan Literature Academy. Biography Zhou was born into a family of farming background in Dengzhou, Henan in 1952. In 1970, after h ...

, "The Fragrant Oil Mill by the Lake of Scented Souls" (). The film is adapted and directed by Xie Fei and tells the story of a woman in a small village in

Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...

who runs a small

sesame oil Sesame oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from sesame seeds. The oil is one of the earliest-known crop-based oils. Worldwide mass modern production is limited due to the inefficient manual harvesting process required to extract the oil. ...

business that becomes unexpectedly successful, but who then uses her money to buy for her mentally disabled son a peasant bride. The film won the

Golden Bear The Golden Bear () is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival and is, along with the Palme d'Or and the Golden Lion, the most important international film festival award. The bear is the heraldic an ...

for Best Film at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival in 1993, a prize it shared with

Ang Lee Ang Lee (; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. His films are known for their emotional charge and exploration of repressed, hidden emotions. During his career, he has received international critical and popular acclaim and List o ...

's '' The Wedding Banquet''.

Plot

Illiterate villager Second Sister Xiang ( Siqin Gaowa) was sold as a tongyangxi ( child bride) to her present husband, a man with a lame leg, when she was seven. She has an intellectually disabled son Dunzi, who suffers from epileptic fits and is now grown up, and a younger daughter Zhi'er. Through her diligence she has started a successful sesame oil mill and now becomes the richest person in her village. A Japanese businesswoman decides to invest in her business after visiting her mill. Meanwhile, Sister Xiang tries to find a bride for her son. She engineers her son's marriage with Huanhuan ( Wu Yujuan), a peasant girl whose family is in dire financial straits. One night, Dunzi nearly strangles Huanhuan to death during a fit. Huanhuan runs back home, but her mother-in-law makes sure she returns. Huanhuan witnesses her drunk father-in-law beating Sister Xiang in bed. She also chances on Sister Xiang in an adulterous affair with family friend Ren, who fathered her daughter Zhi'er. Ren later initiates a break-up with Sister Xiang. Sister Xiang falls ill. She is heartbroken, despite her sesame oil being awarded top prize by the provincial government. Sister Xiang gradually realizes that Huanhuan, like her, suffers as a kindred spirit. She decides to release Huanhuan by asking Huanhuan to go for a

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganising of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the M ...

. But Huanhuan states that her life is already ruined. She then breaks down.

References

External links

* *
''Woman Sesame Oil Maker''
at the Chinese Movie Database

podcast of a lecture by Dr. Julian Ward,

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

{{Golden Bear 1980-1999 1993 films Chinese drama films 1990s Mandarin-language films Films set in Hebei 1993 drama films Golden Bear winners Films based on short fiction Films directed by Xie Fei