Nanking massacre film speaks to the resilience of ordinary Chinese

South China Morning Post

5 days ago

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A new Chinese film recounting the
Nanking massacre has prompted a national reckoning with history.
In its first week in release, Dead to Rights grossed 814 million yuan (US$113 million) and achieved an impressive score of 8.6 out of 10 on Douban, a prominent review platform. This signifies more than box office success. It is a sign of collective engagement with historical memory.
Drawing from documented atrocities, the film presents an opportunity for audiences to confront this chapter of World War II. On social media, many have said that although the movie is difficult to watch, it is a must-see.
The imagery is haunting – a blood-red river, a blade hovering over an infant. Silence envelopes cinemas across the nation, filling viewers with sorrow and determination: we must remember to guard against any recurrence.
For me, the film has deep personal resonance. In my family's ancestral burial ground, deep in the Taihang Mountains in northern China, there stands an empty tomb dedicated to my grandfather's uncle, who was brutally killed during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, with no remains left. I could only learn through my elders' sighs and laments that he was a man of elegance and the pride of the family.