Empire of the Sun

Amidst Japan's invasion of China during World War II, Jamie Grahamâa British upper middle class schoolboyâis enjoying a privileged and spoiled life in the Shanghai International Settlement. After the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese begin to occupy the settlement, and in the ensuing chaos to escape the city Jamie is separated from his parents. Jamie's mother shouts at him over the panicked mob to wait at their house and promises that they will come back for him. He spends some time living in his deserted home, but after eating all the food he ventures out into the city.
Hungry, Jamie tries to surrender to some Japanese soldiers, who shrug and laugh him off. After being chased by a street urchin, he is taken in by Basieâan American expatriate and hustlerâand his partner Frank, who nicknames him "Jim". They intend to leave the boy in the streets when they are unable to sell his teeth for cash, but Jamie promises to lead them back to his neighborhood where there are valuables to loot. There, Jamie finds his house lit and sees a figure in the window whom he thinks is his mother. He runs to the door only to discover the house is occupied by Japanese troops, who take the trio prisoner. They are then taken to Lunghua Civilian Assembly Center in Shanghai for processing. A truck later arrives to take selected internees to the Suzhou Creek Internment Camp; Basie is among those selected to go but Jamie is not. Because he knows of the camp's location, a desperate Jamie convinces the soldiers to take him. On arrival at the camp Jim wanders to the airfield to witness workers servicing a squadron of Zero fighters. As Jim reaches out to touch one he is confronted by a trio of fighter pilots. Jim salutes the pilots, and they salute Jim in return.
It is now 1945, nearing the end of the Pacific War. Despite the terror and poor living conditions of the camp, Jim survives by establishing a successful trading networkâwhich even involves the camp's commander, Sergeant Nagata. Dr. Rawlins, the camp's British doctor, becomes a father figure and teacher to Jim. One night after a bombing raid, Nagata orders the destruction of the prisoners' infirmary as reprisal. He only stops when Jim (now fluent in Japanese) begs forgiveness. Through the barbed wire fencing, Jim befriends a Japanese teenager, who is a trainee pilot. Jim also visits Basie in the American POW barracks, where Jim idolizes the Americans and their culture. Basie eventually sends Jim to set snare traps outside the camp's wire; though Jim succeeds, Basie is only using him to test the area for land minesâplotting to escape. As a reward, Basie allows Jim to move into the American barracks with him.
One morning at dawn, Jim witnesses a kamikaze ritual. Overcome with emotion, he salutes and sings the Welsh song "Suo GÃ¢n". The base is suddenly attacked by a group of American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft. Jim is overjoyed and climbs the ruins of a nearby pagoda to better watch the airstrike. Dr. Rawlins chases Jim up the pagoda to save him, where the boy breaks down in tearsâhe cannot remember what his parents look like. As a result of the attack the Japanese decide to evacuate the camp. Basie escapes during the confusion, though he had promised to take Jim with him. The camp's prisoners march through the wilderness where many die of fatigue, starvation, and disease.
Arriving at a football stadium near Nantaoâfilled with luxuries confiscated by the JapaneseâJim recognizes his parents' Packard. Waking up next to the corpse of a woman, Jim witnesses flashes from the atomic bombing of Nagasaki hundreds of miles away. Jim slips away from the group and wanders back to Suzhou Creek. Along the way he hears news of Japan's surrender and the end of the war. He encounters the Japanese teenager he befriended earlier, who has since become a pilot but is now disillusioned. The youth remembers Jim and offers him a mango, and will cut it for him with his katana. Basie reappears with a group of armed Americans who have arrived to loot the Red Cross containers being airdropped over the area. One of the Americans, thinking Jim is in danger, shoots and kills the Japanese youth. Basie offers to help Jim find his parents, but Jimâinfuriated over his friend's deathâchooses to stay behind.
Jim is eventually found by American soldiers and placed in an orphanage. Here, the film ends with a deeply traumatized Jim reuniting with his mother and father over the sound of the Welsh lullaby.
The final scene shows Jim's suitcase floating in the river in Shanghai (which he had thrown in the water during the march to Nantao stadium). "We know that inside are Jim's cherished cutouts of American magazines, the closest thing he has to memories, and aptly echoes the opening shot of a coffin floating in the same river."[5]

Question: Where is Jim allowed to move?
Answer: to the American barracks