Based on Shen Congwen's 1929 novel, A Girl from Hunan is a daring film portrait of feudal village life in the early part of this century, when women were trapped in centuries-old tradition, and death was often the price paid for desire. But it can be no accident that, with the opening up of the new Chinese cinema, more than one filmmaker has chosen to deal with women's lives in feudal times; the message is clear. A Girl from Hunan deals with the extraordinary (to us) tradition of marrying a young woman to a child husband-in this case, Xiao Xiao (played by Na Renhua), herself only 12 years old, is married to a two-year-old boy, and settles in to work for his family. At first, Xiao Xiao finds it amusing to call this toddler, for whom she cares like a sister, "husband." But when, within a few years, her own sexuality is awakened by her friendship with a hired laborer in the village, only tragedy can ensue. The affair is exposed when she becomes pregnant-a fate punishable by death-and only the fact that she gives birth to a boy saves her life. Thus the tradition is sure to continue. "The film was a challenge to us," director Xie Fei has said. "We tried to present the core of Shen Congwen's novel, which deals with sex, a special aspect of humanity. I was deeply sympathetic to Xiao Xiao."