Ulrich Tukur (THE LIVES OF OTHERS) gives a fascinating performance as John Rabe, a German industrialist in China who, in 1937, intervened to save an estimated 200,000 Chinese civilians from the rape and slaughter perpetrated by the invading Japanese army. Reluctantly drawn into the relief effort by a coalition of fellow internationals, including an American doctor (Steve Buscemi) and a French school headmistress (Anne Consigny), Rabe and company create a safety zone at Rabe's Siemens plant where refugees fleeing the Nanjing massacre can take shelter. But mounting pressure from the aggressive Japanese commanding officer Teruyuki Kagawa pushes their resolve to the breaking point. The script is based on Rabe's diaries, which only came to light in 1997 (published as The Good Man of Nanking: The Diaries of John Rabe), almost 50 years after his death.

DIR/SCR Florian Gallenberger; PROD Benjamin Herrmann, Mischa Hofmann, Jan Mojto. France/China/Germany, 2009, color, 134 min. In English, Cantonese, Mandarin, German and Japanese with English subtitles. NOT RATED

Friday, November 13, 7:00; Sunday, November 15, 7:00

AFI Member passes will be accepted.

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