Jessie Li

At first glance, the gothic and the noir genre may seem quite mutually distinguishable: the former, with its castles, ghosts, and curses, involves a fear of the past; the latter, set in modern urban landscapes, a fear of the future. Yet, a deep sense of fatalism and impending doom permeates both. They also often feature anguished and troubled protagonists who try to navigate through oneiric, manic worlds. Stylistically, both employ expressionistic elements, at times even to the point of...

Set in 1920s China, Raise the Red Lantern (Zhang Yimou, 1991) follows a young woman who becomes the fourth mistress in a wealthy household. Jessie Li’s article analyzes the film through Michel Foucault’s concept of the panopticon, arguing that the film visualizes a system of patriarchal control by enforcing constant visibility and rivalry among women.