Living in a world full of choices, we often do not know what tomorrow brings. Every day people encounter different circumstances that may be life-changing or miserable Jin’s Film “Two-Stage Sisters” presents experiences of these two women’s profound by tremendous social and political cataclysms. The Film begins when Chunhua, a young widow who escapes when she is about to be sold by her in-laws; on her way, she becomes a trainee in traveling Shaoxing folk opera troupe (Marchetti, 59).In the troupe, they become friends with Yuehong, a female character who plays the roles of males in an all-female opera company. They later moved to Shanghai, where Yuehong falls in love with their unscrupulous stage manager, Tang; as a result, Chunhua is mad at Yuehong and the sisters separate.
Two-stage sisters explore the lives of females working on Chinese films. The women in the Film represent a life of adversity and oppression. However, this life does not limit them for radical changes (Marchetti, 60). In the Film, after the two-stage sisters separate, Yuehong chooses to follow her heart in love with Tang. On the other side, Chunhua, inspired by the radical Woman journalist, Jiang Bo, continues her career, giving it more flavor (Marchetti, 60). Her lover finally abandons Yuehong and shamefully disappears from Shanghai. These two sisters represent a change in political and social lives; Yuehong lost it while Chunhua is motivated by her circumstances and continues to flourish beyond her capabilities.
Furthermore, based on the time the Film was produced, that is the 1930s to the 1950s, the Film is symbolic of the social-political upheavals in Chinese (Marchetti, 60). The two women are struggling to fit in the society full of different expectations about them. They undergo several social challenges but manage to maintain their friendship despite their differences. The choice of Chunhua to continue nurturing her career is to represent the life of the contemporary Chinese social and political entities. In conclusion, Xie Jin wanted to bring out the general struggle of the people of China when trying to fit into society. His Film is based on the place of women in society; their quest to matching the community’s expectations.