Red Angel

A potent and blood-soaked tale of saints and sinners set at the height of the Sino-Japanese war.

Set in 1939 during the Sino-Japanese war, Red Angel follows nurse Nishi Sakura, who is assaulted by a patient, reassigned to the front, and drawn into a complex relationship with Dr. Okabe, a morphine-addicted surgeon. Amid relentless pain, their relationship develops as guilt-ridden Okabe finds solace in Sakura’s compassion, the film capturing the uneasy overlap of duty, intimacy, and survival.

This unflinching melodrama contains gruelling scenes of amputations, made all the more disturbing through its black-and-white cinematography. The eroticism is more restrained but carries a powerful charge, while the lyrical score provides warmth and intimacy, underlining a poignant message that strong human bonds can be forged in the least humane of places.