Last Friday I decided to go to the movies. I wanted to watch Alatriste (Agustín Díaz Yanez) but the show was sold out. This certainly caught me off guard,  though I should have considered Viggo Mortensen's effect on the female hearts and the box office. I ended up watching Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia (The Curse of the Golden Flower).  This movie had called my attention since last year (with its Oscar nomination and all) but it hadn't opened here in Mexico. I was rather enthusiastic since the director, Yimou Zhan, had also been responsible for such wonderful movies as Shi mian mai fu (House of the Flying Daggers).

It takes place in the Forbidden City, during the Chinese Tang dynasty. The movie is certainly grandiose in its visual impact, the decoration of the sets is remarkable, saturated with rich colors, designs, carpets, flowers, you name it. The costume design is also quite fantastic, though they might not be totally accurate. Everything is absolutely gorgeous, not to mention the two leading characters: Yun-Fat Chow (Anna and the King) plays Emperor Ping and Li Gong (Memoirs of a Geisha) is Empress Phoenix.

Nevertheless, the plot did not leave me completely satisfied: at some points it seemed I was watching a Mexican soap opera, with the exaggerated dialogs and tragedies. Even though I was captivated right up to the end, the resolution left me feeling disappointed.  I felt it was missing something.

In spite of this, the film, I would say is worth watching, particularly if you respond positively to beauty, this movie's greatest asset.