Devils on the Doorstep

Devils on the Doorstep (Chinese: 鬼子来了; pinyin: Guizi lai le) is a 2000 Chinese black comedy-drama film directed by Jiang Wen. The film explores the complexities of human behavior and morality during the Japanese occupation of China. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 12, 2000, and has a runtime of 139 minutes.

Plot

Set in a small Chinese village during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the story begins when a mysterious stranger forces a local peasant, Ma Dasan, to hide two prisoners: a Japanese soldier named Kosaburo Hanaya and his Chinese translator. Ma Dasan is ordered to keep them captive until the Lunar New Year, at which point they will be retrieved. The village community faces significant moral and logistical challenges as they attempt to manage the prisoners while navigating the pressures of the occupation.

Production

The film was directed by Jiang Wen, who also starred in the lead role of Ma Dasan. The screenplay was a collaborative effort involving Jiang Wen, Ping Shu, Fengwei You, Haiying Li, and Xing Liu. The cinematography was handled by Changwei Gu. The production was supported by producers Ping Dong, Jiang Wen, and Quangang Zheng.

Cast

• Jiang Wen as Ma Dasan
• Teruyuki Kagawa as Kosaburo Hanaya
• Yihong Jiang as Yu'er
• Ding Yuan as Dong Hanchen
• Zhijun Cong as Grandfather
• Kenya Sawada as Inokichi Sakatsuka
• David Wu as Major Gao