City of Life and Death

"City of Life and Death" is a powerful and harrowing drama that recounts the tragic events of the Nanjing Massacre, one of the darkest moments in human history. The film takes place in 1937, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, and follows the fates of several characters, both fictional and real, as they struggle to survive the horrors that surround them. The story begins with the Japanese army's invasion of Nanjing, the capital of China, and the subsequent massacre of tens of thousands of Chinese prisoners-of-war and civilians. Against this backdrop of unimaginable violence, we meet a young Japanese soldier named Kadokawa, who is grappling with his own moral identity as he witnesses the atrocities committed by his fellow soldiers. As the Japanese military tightens its grip on Nanjing, a group of brave Chinese soldiers, led by Lieutenant Lu Jianxiong, fight a desperate guerrilla war against their oppressors. Meanwhile, a small group of Westerners, including the German businessman John Rabe and the American missionary Minnie Vautrin , establish a safety zone to protect thousands of Chinese women, children, elderly men, and wounded soldiers from the marauding Japanese soldiers. But despite their best efforts , the safety zone is repeatedly violated by the Japanese, who continue to rape , murder, and pillage with impunity. As the death toll mounts , the characters are forced to confront their own mortality and morality , and make impossible choices in the face of unspeakable horror. Throughout this ordeal , "City Of Life And Death" never flinches from the brutal reality of war, yet it also finds moments of hope and humanity amidst The chaos. As such , it emerges as a deeply moving tribute to those who suffered and died in the Nanjing Massacre - and a powerful reminder that even in the face of such unimaginable cruelty; our shared humanity must never be forgotten.

City of Life and Death is currently unavailable to stream in Canada on the streaming services we have in our catalogue

Some movies that have similar genres and were produced around the same time as City of Life and Death include The Imitation Game, Hotel Rwanda, The Admiral: Roaring Currents, Ike: Countdown to D-Day, Walter's War, Çanakkale: Yolun Sonu.

City of Life and Death was released in theaters on September 10, 2009.