Moving and memorable book movie adaptation about a British schoolboy's loss of innocence in a time of war

Rating: 9/10 (28 September 2014)

This was a poignant film about the loss of innocence, capturing the full depth of the semi-autobiographical book by J.G. Ballard on which it is based. With the Japanese invading 1940s Shanghai, British schoolboy Jim Graham is separated from his parents and undergoes a remarkable journey of survival. After losing his parents in the rush of the crowd, he follows his mother's instructions to go home, only to find the house seized by the Japanese. Nevertheless, he remains there for several weeks, surviving on canned food and hoping that his mother will return. Desperate for an adult figure, he tries to surrender to the Japanese in a funny and heart-breaking scene and is eventually taken in by an American fugitive, Basie. While Basie eventually fills that role, his motives are from pure; Basie's influence and the harsh circumstances of the internment camp see Jim gradually wisen up to the ways of the world. Despite this, Jim retains a certain warmth and goodness of heart that endear the viewer to him. We also witness Jim's conflict of loyalties - he recognises how cruel the Japanese are, yet admires them for the bravery and can't quite identify with England.
Jim experienced so many complex emotions throughout and Spielberg has done an amazing job of conveying them via the cinematography and dialogue. The soundtrack was perfection. Altogether, the film is highly commendable for distilling the book's essence and packing a powerful emotional punch. While I still think that people should read the book simply because it's a masterpiece, the movie is fantastic in capturing the heart and soul of the story.