City of Life and Death (Nanjing, Nanjing)

 

The highly-anticipated "City of Life and Death," which took Lu Chuan four years to make, premiered across China on April 22, 2009, and made 172 million yuan (US$25 million) at box offices. The film, backed by research from volumes of diaries and documents, offers shocking insight into the 1937 Nanjing Massacre, in which more than 300,000 people died at the hands of Japanese troops.

But Lu avoids disgusting audiences with the brutality – he uses black and white cinematography to recreate the most tragic scenes, avoiding too much color of blood – and instead depicts ordinary people during one of the darkest periods of history. There are no leading actors, just a portrayal of the struggles of humanity.

Lu also gave a fresh take on the perspective of a Japanese military officer. Instead of portraying him as a killing machine, Lu gave him a conscience, and the character's guilt made the film a sobering reflection on brutality.