Lust, Caution: an interpretation (spoiler)

You left off the Stockholm Syndrome explanation (which is actually the one I find most believable). %^D

Actually, I read (and own a copy of) that book. It's been awhile, and I could be misremembering, but I thought that he was pointing out that *Eileen Chang* wrote an incredibly spare story, with very little background to it (which is fine). The movie definitely added details that weren't in the original story.

The movie doesn't answer everything (nor should it - I sometimes worry about people coming onto imdb and asking for "the" answer to a movie, as if there is one); but I don't think it's so spare that you can't come up with a reasonable explanation of what's going on. "Reasonable" being the key word.

I'll try going back to the book and rereading at some point, though (I'm a little busy now). Like I said - it's been awhile, and you just might have hit on something important.

It's hard to explain the reason why she did it to a foreigner who is not Chinese. No offense, it's just that traditional Chinese culture is hard for others to understand.

In my opinion, It goes sooo much beyond the ring! She wasn't into money or ring otherwise she would have been a gold digger all along...but as we all know..she wasn't. Also, let's no forget that Mr. Yee was not into diamonds at all and was mocking how women treasure diamond when it's just a formation of rock all along.

If you watch carefully...Notice that when she was being considerate and wanted to take the ring off because she felt it was too flashy, he insisted that she leaves it on because he is basically giving her the recognition that she's officially his woman, and she was moved because of that. It's the ultimate declaration of love.

I think in the beginning she was focused and was in character..but as we are human, having intimate relationship with someone cannot just simply be physical. In that scene where she sang for Mr.Yee in the Japanese restaurant (or whore house), I think she's already developed empathy for Yee and she started realize that he's a human being with emotions and that he despises Japanese eventho he was supposedly working for them.

For me, this is soo much better than that Broke back and Couching Tiger *beep* For all those ppl who can't stand nudity..seriously...you're an adult. Your kid is probably watching really gross porn...this is avant garde art! if you can't stand it...then bugger off!

Why did Ang pick up this story after winning the Oscar and make it in China?

Why there are so many RED colors in the film? Red diamond ring, Red lipstick. but the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) RED flag is NOT shown at all but the Chinese natinal party's BLUE flags are shown serval times?

Why Wong Chia Chi works for Chinese National Party (which resided at Taiwan now), not Chinese Communist Party (which take over Chinese National Party at 1949 by force)? which Chinese party did fight against Japanese?

Why did Chinese Communist Party ask Ang to modify "RUN FAST" scene before allowing it shown at China?

How amny young Chinese finally understand that Chinese National party is the one which fight against japanese for 14 years, not CCP?

Lust --> Red --> CCP
Caution --> do not be brain washed by CCP --> Run fast.

Ang is a brave Taiwanese !

First of all, I haven't seen the movie in a about a year, so please excuse me if this doesn't make any sense or if I misunderstood your comment.
I can understand that someone would write a character's reaction like that to perplex an audience and to get them thinking. However, although her actions might seem strange and inexplicable, it seems like a pretty common thing. How many times have people identified with their abuser, or protected their abuser? I don't simply think that it's a "literary technique," but it's also human nature. I love movies like this because it explores human nature, especially the things about human nature that we would rather not think about.
I know you said that the biological explanation is probably *beep* but women are very emotional and tend to become very emotionally attached to men that they have sex with, even when they think that it's not going to happen to them...I guess it could be an evolutionary thing, although the evolutionary explanation is used for everything nowadays. :p

I could understand her action if the ONLY reason was just the fact she really loved him. But to sacrifice the lives of her entire cell and herself clearly has no explanation.
Mountain Man

I have lived in china for over 4 years now. And I truly believe Chinese people are not patriotic at all. They ''say'' they love their country but everything they do contradicts that. They are full of it. Chinese people are obsessed with ''lao wai'' foreigners to you and me. They all want to leave and given any kind of chance they do. They are all learning English and believe Chinese Mandarin is an inferior language. People will never speak to you in Chinese as soon as you ask a question they switch to English right away. They all bitch about the government but then never do anything just complain. The whole country is divided. People in different provinces hate each other and don't even use the same language. People in the south all speak different dialects. They use Chinese characters to write but when they speak no one can understands each other cause of the 100 different dialects.

Anyway this brings me to the point I think she did it cause she doesn't love her country at all. She is like all Chinese people she says she does. But she doesn't at all. When push comes to shove and they are actually supposed to stand up and do something they always bottle it. I think this is Ang Lee's point. When the Japanese came to China the Chinese didn't really fight them they tried to make deals and truces instead of fighting. Wang Jingwei and Chiang Kai Shek and even the former emperor of China sold out and tried to use the Japanese to re-found his empire in northeast China called ''Manchukuo'' Instead of everyone uniting and fighting the invaders. I love China but watching this movie was so depressing cause it is so true and near to the bone. Chinese people don't love their country. Ang Lee himself has changed his passport to an American one. I'm not surprised the Chinese government banned this film.

Hi, easy! Welcome to the board for the second best movie of 2007. %^D

Well, Chia-Chih was barely out of her teens. She was also abandoned as a child.

She has never really experienced familial love much less passion. She had nothing to compare what she thought she was feeling for Yee. Only a crush on one fellow student and a messy, awkward coupling with another.

The book is even more mysterious than the film. The majority of it is Chia-Chih remembering how this affair came into being. She is nervous and frightened about the fact that she is about to murder another human being. She also suspects that Yee's interest in her is waning which is why he wants to buy her jewelry...essentially pawning her off. She also thinks about an old philosopher's ramblings about a way to man's heart is cooking but for a woman, it is sex. Then there is the fact that Chia-Chih and her friends were a bunch of actors. They were all excited over these heroic roles they carved out for themselves. And Chia-Chih was the heroine.

Isn't the heroine supposed to fall in love?

The book ends creepily with Yee gloating over the fact that he is haunted by the spirit of a beautiful, young woman. It is a point of pride that he, an old man, made a young girl sacrifice herself for him. And that her spirit will protect him, be forced to follow him for the rest of his life.

So obviously he was NOT in love. That was the one misstep with this film. They portrayed Yee as caring about Chia-Chih when he did not.