City of Life and Death

"Truly a masterpiece!"—Los Angeles Times

Shot in stark black-and-white, this film is an indictment of the cruelty of war and an unforgettable cinematic achievement. In December 1937, the Imperial Japanese Army laid siege to the Chinese capital of Nanking, killing as many as 300,000 citizens during a six-week reign of terror. Chuan's bold and harrowing account is told with startling humanism through the eyes of both victims and oppressors, as it shows the Chinese struggle to survive and a Japanese soldier's struggle with his conscience. (132 mins., 35mm)