Wild Flower (1930) Review: Ruan Lingyu is simply heartbreaking

You should watch this today if you don't mind crying a little bit at your screen. It is perfect for people who like those old-school stories where everything goes wrong because of 'tradition' or whatever.

If you hate silent movies or slow pacing, you will probably be bored out of your mind. But for everyone else, it is a real gem from the old Shanghai film scene.

Ruan Lingyu is the only reason this movie still feels alive after all these years. Her face does things that modern actors need ten minutes of dialogue to explain.

She plays this orphan flower girl who is just trying to get by. She meets a musician, and they fall in love, which is usually where the trouble starts in these kinds of flicks.

I noticed that her flower basket looks really heavy in the opening scenes. Like, she is actually struggling to carry the thing while trying to look poetic.

The guy, played by Yan Jin, is okay but he's kind of a wet blanket. He mostly just stands there looking worried while his family acts like total villains.

His parents are so mean it almost becomes funny. They represent the 'traditional family' but they act more like movie monsters who hate happiness.

There is this one scene where she's just standing in the rain and the lighting makes her look like a ghost. It’s easily the best shot in the whole film. 🌧️

The underworld stuff feels a bit tacked on, honestly. One minute it’s a romance, and the next, there are gangsters lurking in the shadows of Shanghai.

It reminds me a bit of the vibe in The Madcap Musician, but way more depressing. This isn't a fun musical romp.

The subtitles (or intertitles, I guess) are a bit dramatic. Lots of talk about 'fate' and 'shame' that feels a little bit thick.

I did love the way the city was filmed though. You get these tiny glimpses of 1930s Shanghai that feel like a time machine.

The movie gets way better once they leave the rich house. The stuffy rooms were making me feel claustrophobic just watching it.

Sometimes the film quality gets real grainy, and you can barely see what’s happening in the dark. It adds a bit of grittiness that I actually liked.

If you've seen The Artist and want to see what a real silent drama looks like, this is a good spot to start. It doesn't have that polished Hollywood feel.

It’s a bit messy in the middle. There is a long sequence where not much happens except people looking sad near windows.

But then the ending hits. I won't spoil it, but it’s exactly as tragic as you think it’s going to be.

Final thoughts:

• Ruan Lingyu is a 10/10 even if the script is a 6/10.
• The music student needs to stand up to his dad more.
• Shanghai looks beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
• Keep some tissues nearby for the last twenty minutes.

It isn't a perfect movie, and some of the acting from the villains is way too much. They do that thing where they shake their fists at the sky like cartoon characters.

Still, I couldn't stop watching. There is a raw energy here that you just don't get in modern movies that try to look old.

The way she holds her flowers at the end... it just stays with you. 🥀