Flowers of Shanghai

In 1890s Shanghai, wealthy Chinese men cannot be seen in brothels, so they keep to the "flower houses" of the British concession, closed worlds with their own customs and language. Wang (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) is a regular, bound to the courtesan Crimson (Michiko Hada), while Pearl (Carina Lau) and Emerald (Michele Reis) hold their own places. Hou Hsiao-hsien keeps the camera still as the men dine, smoke opium and play mahjong, and the women wait.