Self-Braided

This film (drama)Also known as自梳，is aHong Kong, ChinaProducerwomen sex，At1997Released in year 。The dialogue language isCantonese, Mandarin, English，Current Douban rating8.6(For reference only)。

A heartfelt story that transcends 50 years of time and space. The suffering and love-hate relationship of two women is heartbreaking yet intoxicating. Modern woman Ah Hui (played by Li Qihong) returns from studying architecture in the United States to run her career between Hong Kong and the mainland, embodying a new era of empowered women. Her boyfriend (played by Zhao Wenxuan), who is also her subordinate, finds their relationship fading as he becomes infatuated with someone else. Ah Hui is heartbroken yet helpless. Ah Hui's father entrusts her to accompany her childhood nanny, Aunt Huan (played by Gui Yalei), back to her hometown to visit old friends. The two have a confrontational first meeting, and their interactions are not very pleasant. As the journey progresses, their conflicts continue, but they gradually find common ground. While guiding the emotionally vulnerable Ah Hui, Aunt Huan reveals a hidden past. In the 1940s in Shunde, Guangdong, women live shackled by patriarchal norms. The young Yihuan (played by Yang Caini) is sold by her father to a landlord; she prefers to be a self-braided woman, refusing to submit even unto death. She is rescued by a courtesan named Yuhuan (played by Liu Jialing) from the nearby Xinghua Building. Yuhuan marries the local fabric factory owner, Chen Yaozong (played by Dong Wei), becoming his eighth concubine, and constantly competes with the other wives. However, she sees Yihuan as a confidante, and they engage in deep conversations. Yihuan and her childhood sweetheart (played by Qian Jiale) have mutual feelings but cannot become partners. Yuhuan is betrayed by her husband and becomes a pawn in the power games of warlords, leading her to leave the Chen family in anger. Yihuan's unwavering loyalty to Yuhuan deeply touches her, and their feelings slowly surpass friendship. At this time, Yihuan cheats on her lover on the night of "buying the doorstep," causing Yuhuan to feel anxious and angry, ultimately unable to contain a deep-seated secret from Yihuan. Will the lovers end up together? What secrets lie between the two women? Can Ah Hui overcome her emotional challenges? And who has Aunt Huan been searching for over the last 50 years? "Self-Braided" is a masterpiece by renowned director Zhang Zhilong, simple yet deeply moving, with profound character portrayals and sensitivity to the times, making it one of the best domestic lesbian films.