Nanjing! Nanjing! (2009)

Nanjing! Nanjing!: Directed by Chuan Lu. With Ye Liu, Yuanyuan Gao, Wei Fan, Lan Qin. In 1937, Japan occupied Nanjing, the Chinese capital. There was a battle and subsequent atrocities against the inhabitants, especially those who took refuge in the International Security Zone.

“I finished watching this film two hours ago and the punch in the stomach I received watching it still hurts. I donu0026#39;t recall having received such a punch in my 60 or so years of film watching. Unlike films such as u0026quot;Schindleru0026#39;s Listu0026quot; or u0026quot;Empire of the Sunu0026quot;, this film does not take sides. Itu0026#39;s like a candid camera operated by an invisible grand master hidden in the crowd or the rubble. Itu0026#39;s just there recording events. As a result, despite the fact that it focuses on the big picture, the individual is not lost: Both the Chinese and the Japanese, each and every one of them, in huge crowds are real believable characters. This gives the viewer a grand and horrible sense of presence which is what makes it so painful. It would take courage to watch it again.”