The Flowers of War *Warning* (quite horrific)

Again I saw high rating on Netflix and decided to check it out. Wow this movies is based on true events and it is quite an emotionally powerful story. Until I watched this movie I did not know about the Nanking Massacre also known as the Rape of Nanking by Imperial Japan during the second Sino-Japanese War. It was a mass murder and war rape. It was estimated that 250,00-300,000 people died in this six week period.

This movie depicts a "Westerner," Christian Bale who is a mortician that seeks refuge in a catholic church. The opening scenes is hard to watch. It shows young girls who are trying to seek refuge in a church and on the way there, barbaric Japanese soldiers chasing them and stabbing them to death. Christian Bale finds two girls hiding and helps them to the church. He later takes it upon himself to protect these young girls at the convent and come across a group of prostitutes who also seek refuge there. I wont ruin the movie but it is these prostitute and in particular the main girl who helps Christian Bale save the girls.