10 of the best Asian films about weddings, from Monsoon Wedding to Raise the Red Lantern

Happiness, sadness, chaos and family dynamics – weddings involve a mixture of emotions that make them an ideal subject for filmmakers

From China, India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Korea, here are 10 of our favourite wedding-themed Asian films

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A still from Indian production Monsoon Wedding (2001), one of our 10 favourite Asian films about weddings.

Published: 5:00pm, 30 Nov 2019Updated: 5:12pm, 30 Nov 2019

Your wedding day should be one of the happiest days of your life, yet it can also be one of the most stressful. From the months of planning, to interfering relatives, to the meticulously orchestrated celebrations, the day itself is a ticking time bomb of potentially expensive disasters.

Motivations for getting married can also vary wildly, from family pressure to financial stability to immigration status, but should always be grounded in love and mutual respect. All of this makes marriage, and weddings, ripe for cinematic drama.

Here are 10 of our favourite Asian movies about getting married.

1. Raise the Red Lantern (China, 1991)

Marriage is not always for love, as Gong Li’s teen bride discovers in Zhang Yimou’s sumptuous drama set in China’s warlord era. Following her father’s death, Songlian (Li) is married off to a wealthy merchant.

Now confined to his compound, she must vie for her husband’s affections against his three other, venomously territorial concubines.

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