Recently on social media, a Trump supporter told me to "go back to China." But I'm not from China. I'm not even Chinese.
I haven't showcased an international film in a while, and with the recent uptick in Asian hate crimes, I wanted to showcase an Asian movie. In Ted's MOVIE OF THE WEEK, I've wanted to focus mostly on underappreciated and underrated films, but I recently heard about The Eight Hundred, which is based on an actual historical event from 1937. The movie is about hundreds of Chinese soldiers fighting in their last stand against the Imperial Japanese Army in Shanghai.
It may not be widely known, but The Eight Hundred is the highest-grossing film of 2020, surpassing Bad Boys For Life and Tenet. Granted, the pandemic has had a detrimental effect on the movie industry worldwide, but The Eight Hundred is a spectacular movie, and it's one of the best epic war films I've seen since Saving Private Ryan.
The storytelling in The Eight Hundred is somewhat sporadic as it doesn't focus on any particular set of characters. Nevertheless, the film is immensely intense and emotional, with beautiful cinematography and superb action. Moreover, the film reveals some fascinating historical tidbits. Certain parts of China, for example, were not invaded due to them being concessions for other nations. So in the film, the military siege was happening across a river in an area that was not invaded. Despite the proximity, the two sides of the river were in stark contrast to each other. Furthermore, the Chinese National Revolutionary Army (NRA) was ironically equipped with German uniforms and weapons, so they looked like Nazi soldiers in World War II.
Racism is a consequence of people living in a bubble, surrounded by like-minded individuals who are typically despicable, rude, and incredibly tone-deaf. Mistreating and discriminating against somebody based on their social group is just wrong. I've experienced racism all my life, so I hope people will gain some empathy and compassion when they see movies like The Eight Hundred and remember that racial groups are human beings, many of whom had to endure hardships and atrocities.
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