''The Matrimony'' () is a 2007 Chinese horror film directed by Teng Huatao and starring

Leon Lai Leon Lai Ming SBS BBS MH (born 11 December 1966), is a Hong Kong actor, film director, businessman and Cantopop singer. He is one of the " Four Heavenly Kings" of Hong Kong pop music. He uses his Chinese name "Li Ming" or "Lai Ming", whi ...

Fan Bingbing Fan Bingbing (, born 16 September 1981) is a Chinese actress. From 2013 to 2017, she was included as the highest-paid celebrity in the ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 list after ranking in the top 10 every year since 2006. She appeared on ''Time'' ...

, and

Rene Liu Rene Liu Ruo-ying (; born 1 June, 1969) is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter, actress, director and writer. In the Sinophone world, Liu is widely known by her affectionate nickname "Milk Tea". Her music often focuses on love stories and has built an ...

. The movie was released on February 28, 2007.

Plot

Set during the 1930s, ''The Matrimony'' follows Shen Junchu (

), a cinematographer that's deeply in love with his girlfriend Xu Manli (

). Due to his extremely introverted character, Junchu was unable to confess to her how deeply he cared for her. When Manli dies in a freak car accident on the way to their date, Junchu mourns her deeply. Junchu's mother manages to convince him to marry Sansan (

), but he is unwilling to allow her to take Manli's place in his heart. When Sansan discovers a mysterious attic room, she's forbidden to enter by Junchu. She eventually enters the room, only to find the ghost of Manli. Manli offers to help Sansan's unhappy relationship with Junchu, only for the ghost to grow dangerously jealous when Junchu begins to show an attraction for Sansan.

Cast

as Shen Junchu *

as Xu Manli *

as Sansan

Awards

* 44th

Golden Horse Film Awards The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...

**Best Supporting Actress - Fan Bingbing **Best Cinematography - Li Pingbin

Reception

Blogcritics Blogcritics is a blog network and online magazine of news and opinion. The site was founded in 2002 by Eric Olsen and Phillip Winn. Blogcritics features more than 100 original articles every week, and maintains an archive of all its published con ...

criticized some parts of the film, such as some "obvious holes" and plot lulls, but stated that the film was interesting and beautifully shot. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' praised the film, noting some similarities between the plot of ''

Rebecca Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...

'' and ''The Matrimony''.

Dread Central Dread Central is an American website founded in 2006 that is dedicated to horror news, interviews, and reviews. It covers horror films, comics, novels, and toys. Dread Central has won the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Website f ...

gave the film three blades, writing that it "still manages to fall into the same quasi-supernatural trappings in its final act (including the aforementioned frustrating ending), but it sure is a touching date movie if nothing else." HorrorNews.net called ''The Matrimony'' "a fine example of a classic ghost story". A reviewer for the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by TriBeCa Productions, Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive progra ...

praised the film, citing the set designs and special effects as highlights. ''

DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...

'' wrote that while the film was a "luxuriant, affective supernatural chiller", some of the twists in the film made it "less satisfying as a vision of subtle horror".Matrimony (Blu-ray)
DVD Talk

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Matrimony, The 2007 films 2007 horror films Chinese supernatural horror films Chinese ghost films 2000s Mandarin-language films Films set in Shanghai Films set in the 1930s Films with screenplays by Zhang Jialu Films directed by Teng Huatao