The Flowers of War

After twenty days of continuous bombing,

Nanking finally fell to the Japanese.

It was December the 13th, 1937.

I remember

everyone was running that day,

but no one could escape that heavy fog.

Major Li only had a few men left.

Nanking was no longer

able to put up a fight,

and those left behind, ran for their lives.

Stop counting.

Shu and two others are missing.

Let us in!

There's no room!

Find your own place to hide!

I said there's no more room!

Let's go.

Keep going!

Hey.

There are people inside.

Who is there?

Come out!

Come out!

Bastards!

Go to hell!

Stop!

Turn around!

Turn around!

Don't move!

American.

From the refuge.

What?

American.

Not soldier.

John Miller.

Raise your hands!

Working at the church.

Raise your hands!

I said raise your hands!

Separated...

You separated from your families?

You...

families...

separated?

I'm...

going to...

Winchester Cathedral.

You know where it is?

Where?

Mister.

Did you say...

Did you say "mister?"

Who said "mister?"

You speak English?

We are from Winchester Cathedral.

Say that again.

We are from Winchester Cathedral.

You're kidding?

We are students at the convent.

You going there?

Why do you want to go there?

I'm helping to bury your father.

Well, not your father father...

Father Ingleman.

Father Ingleman, yeah.

I'm helping burying him.

Father Ingleman, I'm sending him off...

to heaven or wherever.

You show me the way?

Peng,

move to the flank,

prepare to engage.

Damn it, are you deaf?

Major Li,

we are the last ones left.

We should leave the city now.

Keep fighting.

Yes sir.

Got you!

Let's go.

Yes sir.

That way!

Up there, on the right!

On the left! Fire!

Cover them!

The Chinese army didn't

have adequate weapons

to destroy the enemy's tanks,

so they employed a tactic

from ancient warfare.

They formed a human shield

to get a bomb close to the tanks.

At the time, the Chinese people

couldn't bear the thought

of their country,

and such selfless acts were not uncommon.

Zhen!

Let me go!

Zhen!

Come on!

Father Ingleman...

fly away.

Fly away?

On here, Japanese, bomb.

- He flew away with the bomb, right.

- Yes.

Why was the deceased out here?

- Gu. All because of Gu.

- Gu?

He said, bad smell.

He moved the body here.

Who's Gu?

Gu is our cook.

He ran away.

He leaves some students here.

Some students took away by parents.

Some students nowhere to go.

So who's inside?

Just you and the girls?

Just you and the girls.

Even without a body,

you gotta pay me.

No.

No... You gotta pay me.

No.

That's the rule.

There's nothing I can do about it.

With what I came through,

I should raise the price.

So is the money inside?

No. No money.

Money? Inside?

No.

Come on.

There's no money inside?

No.

Let's look.

It's a Catholic church.

There's gotta be some cash inside.

No.

No?

You say anything but no?

Can you fix truck?

Help us.

Leave Nanking.

Fix this truck?

For free?

No.

I can take parts, sell parts.

You got tools?

No.

Let's get inside.

Zhen didn't even make a noise.

Even when they stabbed her over and over,

yet she didn't make a noise.

It's all my fault.

It's not your fault.

It is your fault.

Your father promised to take us

on a boat and leave Nanking.

Where is he?

He ran off.

We waited and waited

and now the Japanese are here.

Now the Japanese are everywhere,

and it's too late to go to the refuge.

Zhen died because of your father!

Shut up!

What are you doing?

Stop!

Stop fighting!

Hey.

Hey.

Hey! Stop!

Stop!

I'm John. Hi.

I'm American.

He's the mortician for Father's funeral.

I know it's hard.

But you've gotta stop fighting everybody.

You know you two... you've seen enough...

seen enough tragedy for a lifetime today.

I can't... um...

I'm not good with kids.

Let's go.

You want some flour?

You like some flour?

- Make some bread for the girls.

- Buns.

Buns.

Buns, whatever.

Let's go find the collection box.

Where?

- Upstairs?

- No.

Oh, nice.

Forget going back to the refuge,

I think I'm bunking here tonight.

He's grim, who's that?

Is that Father Ingleman?

Yes.

These North Europeans they're all like,

you know, tuna, playwrights,

not much fun.

Look at that face,

he's ruining the...

What do you call it? Feng... Fengshui?

I can't have a priest staring at me

- while I'm sleeping.

- No...

My father.

Me...

orphan...

adopted.

I'm sorry.

But I just...

It's not good for me to have a priest

staring at me while I'm sleeping.

I can't.

Please, I gotta just... there, better.

You got any drink around here?

No.

You're a church.

You got wine, something?

Nothing.

Nothing?

- No.

- No, no...

That's a shaving kit.

What a jerk!

I said you are a jerk!

What did you say your name was?

George Chen.

George.

Tomorrow,

you fix truck,

help us.

Fix truck?

No money!

Money, George.

Gu.

Open the door, it's Ling.

Can you hear me

Gu.

Open up.

It's Ling.

Did you really make a deal with him?

Of course.

Otherwise I wouldn't

have brought you here.

Gu.

Open the door, it's Ling.

Gu, have you gone deaf?

Someone's here.

Where's Gu? Ask him to come out.

Go to the refuge on the west side.

Leave now, go to the refuge.

No, we're here for Gu.

Gu's not here.

Bullshit! Get out of my way!

Gu told me,

this church is under Western protection.

The Japanese can't come in.

Bastard! I served Gu all night for free,

he promised to let us stay.

Ask that bastard Gu to come out!

He's really not here.

How come?

He ran off this morning.

You should go to the refuge.

We're not leaving.

Hey! How dare you!

Hurry.

Go to the refuge!

To the refuge!

The refuge doesn't even

have space left for maggots.

Please, have some mercy and let us in.

Don't jump.

They're from the red-light district.

What's that?

It means brothel.

They were the famous

women of the Qin Huai River.

The myths surrounding them

were as ancient as the city of Nanking.

That's a Westerner!

Is he a priest?

No way.

What kind of priest would be such a flirt?

Who cares,

as long as he can protect us.

True.

Come up here.

This was stolen from the bowels of hell.

Long time not make bread.

Long time not make bread? No bread?

Not tonight, tonight we're having bread.

These women quickly took over the cellar.

It was once a filthy, messy place,

but within hours,

they had transformed it

into the Qin Huai River.

The fragrance of rouge and perfume

danced up through the air.

I can smell the bread.

We are coming up!

I couldn't stop them.

Hello.

I remember

when I first saw these women,

they were tramps,

parading around in their lingerie,

not the graceful ladies

that the legends of Qin Huai

had portrayed them to be.

Look, this should be good.

George,

you little sh*t,

you said there was no wine here.

Excuse me.

What's he saying?

Holy hooch!

How dare you drink the wine!

Now the Westerner Knows about the wine.

We sell the wine to raise

money for orphans.

We're all orphans.

We also need help.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes