Promotional material for Send Me to the Clouds Photo: IC

A female-led Chinese movie has found itself the center of controversy on social media for its bold depiction of the lead character's desire to have sex and a masturbation scene.

"I want to make love to you" is not a line you usually hear in Chinese films, so when it appeared from the mouth of the lead character in Send Me to the Clouds - a 30-something single journalist who has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer - the movie inevitably became a controversial topic, which some netizens accusing it of being too bold in its depiction of the female libido and, allegedly, advocating feminism by making men look bad. 

The movie is the maiden work of female director Teng Congcong. It tells the story of Sheng Nan, played by Chinese actress Yao Chen, as she works to raise 300,000 yuan ($42,296) for an operation for ovarian cancer. 

Along her journey to raise money for the operation, Sheng begins to seek out the perfect sexual encounter since she is afraid she will lose her desire for sex after the operation. 

Released on August 16, the film has earned a 7.3/10 from more than 43,000 reviews on Chinese media review site Douban and netted about 25 million yuan ($3.5 million) at the box office as of Thursday. 

While many reviews say the film is relatively good for a maiden work, accusations that the director is trying to push a feminist agenda at the expense of men have sprung up over Sheng's bold pursuit of sex and a scene in which she masturbates - a first for a Chinese mainland film according to Teng. 

"All I can remember after watching the film is that a woman was eager to have sex with a man… and then she finally did," commented one netizen on Sina Weibo. 

Feminist agenda?

In an interview with Chinese news site thepaper.cn on August 15, Teng denied accusations that the movie is smearing men. 

"What we want to express is that no matter if it is men or women, so long as they are human they have weaknesses and defects," Teng told thepaper.cn.

Teng said that the film aims to unfold the existential dilemma of women from a woman's perspective and reveal the real life of working women, something she says is lacking in China's current film and TV market.  

"Previous dramas and movies depict women at Sheng's age as successful women who have families and do not need to worry about money, but this movie shows the actual situation of these women in today's society: single, independent women who earn little and are lonely," Zhang, a 28-year-old female teacher in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, told the Global Times.

Yao, also a producer on the film, told media site youth.cn that the film aims to tell the stories of the ordinary majority, who struggle to survive even in the face of failure.    

Shi Wenxue, a Beijing-based film critic, said that accusations of a feminist agenda merely stems from audience misconception. He noted that the core meaning of the film is that human beings can only obtain freedom and fullness in life when they have dignity.  

He pointed to Sheng's mother Liang Meizhi, a 50-something housewife who has endured her husband's extramarital affairs for years, as an example. Fed up with loneliness, Liang decides to run away to find herself.

Commenting on the controversy around the film, Zhang said she doesn't agree with many of the complaints. 

"The movie is not feminist as far as I can see. Instead it showcases the awakening of women's self-awareness." 

Vilified male characters are one of the main things that seems to have offended many male viewers. A cheating father, a young gigolo and a money-worshiping journalist - many male moviegoers are complaining that there is not a single "normal man" in the movie. 

"I don't think a movie can be considered smearing men just because it does not have a perfect male character," Li Yinhe, a prominent Chinese sexologist, responded to the criticism at a prescreening of the movie on August 12.  

The controversy, to some extent, reveals that it is still a taboo in China for woman to talk about sex. The right to pursue sexual pleasure is still unavailable to most Chinese women, according to Li.

Source of inspiration

This taboo has also seemingly constrained Chinese filmmakers.  

"Movies with men expressing sexual desire and masturbating have been released before, which means that the authorities do not ban such content, it's just that film creators are not trying," Shi told the Global Times.

Shi said the film will encourage industry employees to become more open and inclusive with their creations. 

In the film, Sheng masturbates after failing to orgasm during sex with a colleague. The film's name Send Me to the Clouds is also a sexual innuendo for an orgasm, according to some critics. 

"This is the first time a Chinese [mainland] movie has shown a woman masturbating," Teng told thepaper.cn, noting that she feels it is a brave move to reveal women's desires and journey of self-discovery.  

Some female members of the audience, such as Zhang, have said that the film has inspired them. 

"The movie made me find that I have been deeply constrained by traditional ideology on women although I did not realize it. I am still stuck in the thought that it is shameful to put the topic of sex on the table and that women should bear everything even if her husband is cheating on her," Zhang said. 

"I admire Sheng and her mother's courage to talk about sex publicly and pursue it themselves, which I am not able to do," she noted. 


Newspaper headline: Taking on taboos