Chinese film Dead to Rights has been maintaining its top position on China’s weekend box office since its premiere on July 25th. That also made it the No. 1 watched film globally over the just past weekend.
According to popular Chinese film industry tracker Maoyan, by Tuesday the film has raked in 1.7 billion Yuan, or about 236.6 million dollars. The film now holds an 8.6 rating on Chinese review platform Douban and has been reviewed or reported by international press like “Variety”, Channel News Asia, among others.
The film is set against the backdrop of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre and follows the life of a group of Chinese civilians who seek refuge in a photography studio. While bidding for survival, they assisted a Japanese military photographer to develop films, only to uncover graphic images of the atrocities. They risked their lives to preserve the evidence.
The film’s massive success should, of course, be first attributed to its powerful storytelling and artistic execution. Director Shen Ao has avoided sensationalism, using only minimalistic visuals to convey horror, for example, a knife held to a baby or rivers of bloodshed. In this way, emotional depth and authenticity have been created. The film’s layered storytelling and polished production design also present viewers with unraveled technical craftsmanship.
Movie goers are drawn to the cinema for Dead to Rights also because, fundamentally, the movie has done justice to history. Evan Kail, an American who donated a photo album of Japanese war crimes to China, said the film is a “ten out of ten” that keeps history alive, honors the victims and exposes the past against all odds. Remembering the past is not to stir or preserve hatred; rather, it is to remind us to cherish modern peace. Increasing Yasukuni Shrine visits and wartime denial by some Japanese rightists these days are risking Asia’s or even the world’s stability. By preserving evidence on screen, films like Dead to Rights counter Japan’s historical amnesia and expose the truth that must be held and told.
The movie is slated to premiere globally in places like Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Malaysia, Singapore, among others. With over 35 million military and civilian casualties combined, China was a vital, but often forgotten, member of the Allies battling Japan during WWII. As both a universal call to peace and a truthful reflection on history, the film Dead to Rights deserves the time and attention of global viewers.
