Spider Lilies [2006] [DVD]

We went to see this film at a LGBT film festival as it was the only thing we could get tickets for and were absolutely blown away. It's smart, beautifully acted and filmed and a real breath of fresh air in lesbian cinema. The leads are beautiful and the bond between them sparkles but the film also touches on serious themes of loss, family responsibilities and redemption. It's ultimately uplifting and surprisingly easy viewing (easier, for example, than 'Drifting Flowers' - also, I think, by this director) but makes you think along the way. While some arthouse cinema can be turgid, obscure and alienating, this film is beautiful, stylish and moving. I really loved it and can't recommend it enough.

I watched this after i think it was saving face. I love world cinema..This movie surprised me a lot. It's so very tragic at times.. and i will never forget certain scenes in the dvd.. but so uplifting in that true love prevails.. and found it to be one of the most moving and teaching and beautiful films ive watched for a very long time. Everything is in undertones, and so passionate without being loud. Buy it. Its wonderful.

Spider Lilies is a difficult film to categorise as "lesbian" as for me there was just no connection emotionally or spiritually between the principal actors Isabella Leong and Rainie Yang. The film revolves around one woman who is an online "peek-a-boo" stripper for want of a better word who let's a little more show to those who pay. she is being stalked by a cop who is pretending to be a watcher so he can get enough evidence to trap her and jail her, watch the film alone just to see how this turned out. This actually comes across as very sad instead of seedy as the girl is searching for something emotional and really she is only doing what she does to make a little money but i won't go too far as it will spoil everything. The other woman is a tatoo artist with a gorgeous full length tattoo of a Yellow Spider Lily down her left arm and the online night worker wants this for herself so she goes to the Artist and recognises her as her lost love from some years ago and she wants to reignite the love between them. The film goes from present to past seamlessly as the young online girl remembers her past with this woman but that is enough for nowAs there is no connection between the two women on the surface this film would appear very boring (This "may" be because of Chinese Laws banning many things meaning the actors can't do things on film we in the west would find acceptable) BUT as with nearly every significant film I have seen from Asia there is a multi-layered story here that you will need to watch a few times to "maybe" understand this. I want to tell you all something who are reading this to clarify that last statement. I am a straight male who has a very wide interest in many forms of cinema and lesbian cinema is one of those and NOT the porno stuff either but genuine films and even I as a man understood the loss and anguish and emotional emptiness and the sex worker felt at being rejected by the tattoo artist but stick with this as it is a rewarding film that at lest will inspire debate

I hope the DVD release date is not 1 Jan 2020 (!!!), as mentioned in here... Please correct this as soon as possible, Amazon. Thanks!

This is the first Taiwanese film i've seen and I enjoyed it,centered around a webcam girl Jade and her attraction to tattoo artist Takeko.It has at times a complicated plot that can become a little convolted but the love story at it's core is believable and the chemistry between the two actresses is good (both are taiwanese popstars).

I've said this before, why just because we are a minority, do we feel that we have to put up with rubbish? I found this to be utter rubbish - or perhaps, I'm just the wrong age group for this movie. I could not recommend this at all. I only gave it a 1 star rating because the Amazon system will not accept you review without giving a rating so please bear in mind the 1 star over rates it!