Hidden Letters

Play trailer

Hidden Letters

2022

1h 26m

Documentary

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

22 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Hidden Letters tells the story of two Chinese women trying to balance their lives as independent women in modern China while confronting the traditional identity that defines but also oppresses them. Connected through their love for Nushu -- a centuries-old secret text shared amongst women -- each of them transforms through a pivotal period of their lives and takes a step closer to becoming the individuals they know they can be.

Dennis Harvey

Variety

12/30/2022

A meditative, finally upbeat pulse-taking of a sisterhood that stretches from an archaic writing form’s earliest days to the theoretically liberated women of China today.

Go to Full Review

Devika Girish

New York Times

12/08/2022

The film’s attempts to connect the past and the present feel too glib, lacking the force of historical detail.

Go to Full Review

Phil Hoad

Guardian

11/30/2022

4/5

This is a deft act of historical revival.

Go to Full Review

William Stottor

Loud and Clear Reviews

08/13/2024

4/5

Violet Du Feng’s documentary, Hidden Letters, is a carefully considered, fiercely potent snapshot of a country and society in flux.

Go to Full Review

Damon Wise

Deadline Hollywood Daily

09/19/2023

The past, present and future of women in China’s oppressively patriarchal society is a big topic to address in under 90 minutes, but Violet Du Feng’s unassuming but very moving documentary Hidden Letters covers a lot of ground.

Go to Full Review

Loren King

Newport This Week (RI)

02/09/2023

Directors Violet Du Feng and Zhao Qing have made an accessible and eye-opening film about women’s history and human perseverance.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

André A

@MaximusVikingar 05/07/2025

What seems like a simple look into an old artform, becomes an eerie and effective reflection of the present.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Violet Du Feng

Director

Xin Hu

Self

Simu Wu

Self

He Yanxin

Self

Violet Du Feng

Screenwriter

John Farbrother

Screenwriter

Filmmakers for the Prosecution

100%

100%

Filmmakers for the Prosecution

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Filmmakers for the Prosecution

Heart of a Dog

95%

64%

Heart of a Dog

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Heart of a Dog

Fatal Assistance

80%

%

Fatal Assistance

Watchlist

The End of Time

78%

41%

The End of Time

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Hidden Letters tells the story of two Chinese women trying to balance their lives as independent women in modern China while confronting the traditional identity that defines but also oppresses them. Connected through their love for Nushu -- a centuries-old secret text shared amongst women -- each of them transforms through a pivotal period of their lives and takes a step closer to becoming the individuals they know they can be.

Director: Violet Du Feng
Producer: Mette Cheng Munthe Kaas, Jean Tsien, Su Kim
Screenwriter: Violet Du Feng, John Farbrother
Production Co: Corporation For Public Broadcasting, Arte, Ten Thousand Images, Fish + Bear Pictures, EST Studios
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Chinese
Runtime: 1h 26m