Review of The Flowers of War (2011) by Adam F — 16 Apr 2013

Had never heard of this movie until VUDU recommended it. What a sleeper! I won't lie to you, it is a very difficult movie to watch and more than deserves it's "R" rating. The Rape of Nanking is about the most disgusting, brutal military action that I can rightly recall (and yes, this includes Nazi transgressions in Europe) in post Renaissance History. I have done extensive research into this and other Japanese actions in the Pacific and there are certain parallels that expose a certain weakness in Japanese culture that, unfortunately, I still see to this day. You will understand this just a few minutes into the movie and, with scant research of your own, will confirm my conclusions. Unfortunately, at the same time the movie will tear your heart out and present it to yourself to put back in.

As with any historical episode, there are other sides of the story. The Japanese would later tell that they had warned Nanking of this result should it offer resistance and, further, that the "rape" was to justify the sinful nature of the city in the past in catering to Western indulgences. One must understand this going into the movie. Even so, should you ever have had any doubts as to the morality of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I should certainly hope this might improve your view of Truman's decision (though he was, admittedly, mostly blind to this at the time).

This is a necessary movie to watch, especially now as some weigh a possible return to Japanese hegemony in the Western Pacific. These ghosts haunt Japan and, in light of what I said above, curse their intents. From my own journeys throughout the region, I know that, although three generations removed, these actions still weigh very heavily on the beliefs and opinions of the locals vis-a-vis whether they would prefer American or Japanese hegemony.