Nanjing Photo Studio
Synopsis
2025's Highest-Rated Chinese Film (Douban 8.8), directed by Shen Ao, starring Liu Haoran, Wang Chuanjun, and Gao Ye. Set against the backdrop of the Nanjing Massacre, it portrays the fleeting lives in turbulent times through the microcosmic lens of a photo studio. A summer box office dark horse.
Overview
Nanjing Photo Studio (English title: Dead To Rights) is a 2025 Chinese historical drama film directed by Shen Ao, with a screenplay by Xu Luyang, Zhang Ke, and Shen Ao. It stars Liu Haoran, Wang Chuanjun, Gao Ye, and Wang Xiao in leading roles, with Zhou You making a special appearance, and Yang Enyou and Yuan Daodi in starring roles. The film was released in mainland China on July 25, 2025, and holds a Douban rating of 8.8, making it the highest-rated Chinese-language film of 2025.
Plot Synopsis
Set against the backdrop of the 1937 fall of Nanjing, the film unfolds its narrative through the microcosmic perspective of a photo studio. A group of civilians, including a postman, the studio owner, an actress, and a patrolman, take refuge in the studio amidst the chaos of war. These unrelated ordinary people are forced to coexist in an extreme environment.
The film employs an ensemble cast structure, eschewing grand narratives in favor of witnessing the actions of the Japanese invaders in Nanjing through the eyes of ordinary individuals. The film is dense with information, featuring intricate and complex character relationships.
| Character | Actor | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Su Liuchang | Liu Haoran | Male Lead |
| Wang Guanghai | Wang Chuanjun | Key Role |
| Lin Yuxiu | Gao Ye | Key Role |
| Jin Chengzong | Wang Xiao | Key Role |
| Song Cunyi | Zhou You | Special Appearance |
| Jin Wanyi | Yang Enyou | Child Actor |
Production Highlights
The film was shot using film cameras. The art department spent 14 months reconstructing a 3,000-square-meter wartime neighborhood to meticulously restore the historical setting. This industrial-grade production standard is exceptionally rare for films of this genre.
| Item | Information |
|---|---|
| Release Date | July 25, 2025 |
| Runtime | Approximately 145 minutes |
| Director | Shen Ao |
| Cinematography | Shot on film cameras |
| Art Direction | 14 months to reconstruct 3,000 sqm neighborhood |
| Douban Rating | 8.8 |
Box Office & Reception
Nanjing Photo Studio emerged as a dark horse of the 2025 summer movie season, breaking the 100 million yuan daily box office mark for 19 consecutive days, with a total box office of approximately 1.6 billion yuan. It is the first domestic live-action film since Ne Zha 2: The Birth of the Demon Child to have the potential to surpass the 1 billion yuan mark.
Audiences praised the film for its unique narrative focus on the photo studio, which avoids the didactic tone common in similar-themed works. Instead, it conveys the weight of history through the choices and struggles of ordinary people in extreme circumstances. Director Shen Ao's skill in ensemble storytelling has been widely recognized.
Historical Context
The film draws from the historical events of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre. While previous works like City of Life and Death have covered similar ground, Nanjing Photo Studio adopts a more microcosmic and quotidian narrative angle, refracting the brutality of major historical events through the experiences of ordinary people in a single photo studio.
References
- Douban Movie: Nanjing Photo Studio (8.8)
- Baidu Baike: Nanjing Photo Studio
- Wikipedia: Nanjing Photo Studio
- Xinhua Net: Nanjing Photo Studio Box Office Dark Horse
Comments (0)