City of Life and Death

A week ago, while reading the Sunday, Los Angeles Times, I came across a review of City and Life and Death. The review - which described how the film powerfully captured the infamous war atrocity of Nanking, China in 1937, leading to the rape, pillage, torture, and murder of tens and hundreds of thousands - demanded that I see the film. Directed by Chinese film maker Lu Chuan, and released two years ago, it is now making its appearance here in the US and in the Orange/LA area - in only two theatres. So in a culture where movies like "The Hangover Part 2" can draw and make millions in thousands of theatres, I knew a movie City of Life and Death would draw hardly any interest or crowd other than a handful.

So last night, I did a very rare thing and went to Westpark Irvine 8, where only 10 people (two handfuls) filled the theatre to experience what was the most unwatchable, gut-wrenching, horrific yet necessary movie I have ever seen. Of course, I had read and heard historical bits of Nanking, but to witness moving projected images of it pushed me to the edge. I wanted it all to end, and almost walked out a couple times. So many thoughts flooded and numbed me, ranging from the unfathomable evil of humanity to how the Japanese people today (including Megumi and her family), would react to this film. I was also reminded of the unspeakable trauma the surviving women who served as "comfort women" still experience today.

One of the defining lines of the movie was by a Japanese solider - "Life is more difficult than death." And during the movie, I had a surreal thought wondering if what I was witnessing was real life or actual hell. And for many of us, this life indeed will be the closest to hell we'll ever experience. And for many others, this life will be the closest thing to heaven they'll ever see.

Lord save us from this all.