Flowers of War (2011)

"It's a terrible joke," Father John in Flowers of War (2011)

It is a story about a group of people looking for church protection in China old capital Nanking with setting  from Sino-Japanese War II and World War II.

The city is already occupied by Japanese army, and the church still untouched from looting and raping, coz its fortified with high concrete wall. The priest is also a westerner and they have immunity in the war.

The city is already occupied by Japanese army, and the church still untouched from looting and raping,  fortified with high concrete wall. The priest is also a westerner and they have immunity in the war.

An American mortician, Miller (why the central role always have to be an American, not Englishman, Germans, Dutch?), invited into the church to bury the priest who already gone. The head of the church leave 13 student girls and a servant boy that also live there. After a while, another group climb up the wall and seek for protection there, a bunch of pretty prostitutes.

The story also seasoned with a nationalism intrigue (reflected by Major Li and his little fellow heroism), war brutality (raping, killing). Too bad, even if the story is about raping and I'm very sorry bout the matter, there is no single scene that show full body of a woman. In the other side, the story is safe for people who don't want to see the beauty of woman curves.

It's a Zhang Yimou's movie based on novel 13 Flowers of Nanjing by Geling Yan, with setting in the middle of Japan bombardment and occupation, in the early days of event known as Rape of Nanking that estimates rape and kills 250.000--300.000 civilians.

The girls and the prostitutes also makes me cry in much scenes, especially in the drama period in the late minutes of the movie (the movie last for 146 minutes).

Flowers of War also become a rocket for Ni Ni name to fly high, the actress who can bring Yu Mo character into the screen, from previously a local movie talent and model. That movie also climb her name to become Mou's Girl, like previously happen to Gong Li back in 1990's and in Curse of Golden Flower, also Zhang Ziyi in Hero and House of Flying Daggers. 

The only mistake I've made was a big one. Never EVER read the whole plot of movie in Wikipedia, if you intend to watch it. 

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