I saw the movie City of Life and Death [《南京南京》] with a Chinese friend recently.  At points during the movie I think she cried. I heard others stifle tears through the executions and rapes.  The credits were almost finished as I left the theater and I walked past people too emotionally burdened leave the theater just then, too angry to wipe their wet cheeks.  As for me, my eyes were dry and I felt like I had wasted my money.

The reason I was not very moved is not because I am a westerner.  I clearly remember watching Ted Leonsis’ production of “Nanking” in 2007 and holding back tears.  (You can read my article on it here in Chinese.) It was a documentary, so the production was extremely different from City of Life and Death, but it was a successful piece of art.  It had a meaning beyond the obvious.  It asked questions and probed them.  It left the audience along with the characters emotionally spent and intellectually curious. 

As a work of art, City of Life and Death is a complete failure.  It attempts to use a Japanese soldier as the main vehicle to portray the horror of what happened in Nanjing. He was shown in a humanistic light, but it was an unconvincing performance hampered by poor writing. 

Before coming to China I lived in Japan for four years.  My understanding of how Japanese interact with each other did not gibe with what was shown in the film.  The way they talked to each other was off.  They way they treated each other was not right.  It was inauthentic.  Frankly, save a few moments from Rabe, not even the western characters were portrayed very well either. 

The most important part of any movie is the story and this what was missing from  City of Life and Death.  So much attention was paid to Chinese suffering, that the story of this Japanese soldier was diluted and his fate became more of an endnote than a conclusion.  The final effect was of several short stories blended into one film.

The friend who watched the movie with me agreed that both the behavior of the Japanese soldier and the two Chinese at the end seemed disingenuous.  However, she also said that this film is a step in the right direction for Chinese cinema.  The portrayal of a Japanese soldier in a human light would not have been acceptable until recently.  Perhaps the real story is here.

I could not help but feel that director Lu Chuan’s own hopes for this film were not fully met, that much of what he wanted to say was left on the editing room floor.  I suspect he wanted to show more aspects of this Japanese soldier, such as the situation he came from and the process by which he was taught to hate and kill and destroy.  Perhaps he also wanted to show that this man was not just a criminal but a victim as well.

If the most significant aspect of City of Life and Death is the progress of the Chinese film industry, then I want to know what actors and directors are truly capable of.    I want to see their full talent and I want to see how they express their views on modern problems and historical events, such as the complexity of life during the revolution, the Great Leap Forward’s effect on families or even the victims of the Cultural Revolution.   

During my five years in China I have found most people to be willing to talk about the tragedy of the Nanjing Massacre and the 300,000 who died, but very few willing to talk at length about the millions of victims during the other difficult times in China’s recent history.  This of course is not a matter of numbers but of humanity.  How do people deal with tragedy and anger?  Is it possible to find peace and healing? 

Everyone I have spoken with has expressed sorrow and sadness and in this sense it has reminded me of my years in Japan.  While there I talked with many about World War II and they all expressed sorrow for what was done to other countries, but just like my Chinese friends they did not speak much about tragedy and their school textbooks largely avoided this topic.  Just as Japan has no cultural space yet for public discussion of World War II, so China avoids discussion of topics like the Cultural Revolution. 

As a westerner trying to understand both civilizations, I am waiting for the real story to unfold and I am waiting for those with the talent to find the cultural space and the courage necessary to tell these stories.  Perhaps when they finally find their space, I too will sit riveted to my theater seat next to other Chinese  or Japanese, even when the credits are finished.

Tags: Chinese cinema, Japan, 《南京南京》，中国电影，日本，City of Life and Death

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