Review of The Flowers of War (2011) by Chriss M — 19 Jan 2013

I'll admit my bias before I begin. Yimou Zhang has made some of the most beautiful, affecting films I have ever seen - I'd go as far as to say he is one of my favourite directors. Zhang can craft visuals like no other, always dynamic and vibrant and alive with colour. The Flowers of War is no exception. It's a beautifully tragic story of redemption, bravery and love.

In the midst of the atrocity committed against the Chinese by the Japanese during World War II, 'The Rape of Nanking' (which many feel the Japanese government have not sufficiently apologised for, often making half-apologies and continuing to visit the graves of war criminals), an American mortician is on his way to a Cathedral, which currently acts as a safe house from the barbarity outside it's walls, in order to prepare the late Father for the grave. On his way he encounters the extreme destruction currently underway, the soulless murder which is taking place. Quickly he discovers that being a Westerner will grant him no protection.

When he reaches the Cathedral, we understand that this an uninterested rouà (C) with an interest only in money and wine. The fact that the teenage inhabitants of the convent are in grave pearl is of no great interest to him. To him, the cathedral is a sweet spot with plenty of wine and a comfy bed. So naturally, when a harem of prostitutes scale the walls, he's thinking the party's just begun.