The film tells the story sadly known as the “Massacre of Nanking”, which took place in 1937-38 during the Japanese occupation of China. In the City Of Life And Death, the number of Chinese victims is still disputed. 300 thousand according to Chinese sources, whilst Japanese historians argue between 100 and 200 thousand. This episode of history, even nowadays is the cause of strong resentment and tension between the two countries.
More than 70 years later, director Lu Chan has dedicated a film to the memories and human tragedy concealed behind every massacre.
Shot stunningly in black and white, the film records the atmosphere and tragedy of another time, but with a timeless intensity and expression. When human sense reduces itself to pure madness, when the suffering of an entire population at the hands of an enemy army turns into the torment of a single soldier wearing exactly that army’s uniform.
The protagonist (portrayed by Nakaizumi Hideo) is a Japanese soldier who, like many others, arrives at Nanking following orders. Even when this involves massacre, violence and torture without pity. The characters who we meet on this descent into hell, find themselves deciding their own fate when limited by circumstances, conditions and possibility. As such, we are introduced to the young general Lu (Liu Ye) who guides his troops in an act of resistance against the Japanese soldiers; John Rabe (John Paisley), a real-life character known as the Schindler of the Chinese, who helped to save countless amounts of civilians by creating an International Zone; the young teacher (Gao Yuanyuan) and Mr Tang (Fan Wei), assistant to John Rabe, who tries to save his wife (Qin Lan) and sister-in-law (Jiang Yiyan). In reconstructing a drama about horror and death, instead, there emerges a tale of life without a choise.
The film, one of the most anticipated of the last few years, has stirred debate ever since its release, arousing passionate plaudits alongside ferocious criticism in China. The Massacre of Nanking represents an open-heart wound for the Chinese. A mixture of pride and honour, it has never before been the subject of a historical revision that was free from political influences and propaganda.
Previous representations in film and television series have always followed a line charged with nationalist sentiment. City Of Life And Death positions itself on the edge of this boundary. On one hand, it does not reveal the story behind the tragic episode, choosing to avoid that responsibility.
It does not support the official version of events; neither does it contradict them, nor does it explore the entire context of that period. On the other hand, it dares to split with the previous cinematic tradition of the classic zhuxuanlu, or old-fashioned mainstream propaganda films, dedicated to historical events. It has the courage to confront the subject from a different perspective, the first attempt of its kind: that of the protagonist, the reluctant “enemy”, who has to live with the anguish and terrible responsibility for those acts which they did not want to commit. Every character, Chinese or Japanese, is shown in a subjective dimension rather than collective, in order to demonstrate that the dramas are individual. Lu Chuan’s film does not try to recount the complex chronological history of events, but to focus the lens on those moments of “quiet before the storm”. The film attempts to redefine the borders and limits of those “national” feelings and attitudes, which have previously been unexplored, those emotions that can be felt and the perspective that can be shared, even with the hateful enemy.
Maria Ruggieri