THE CHILDREN OF HUANG SHI

The Children of Huang-Shi is a war story, but it's one that focuses on the people involved rather than the events that unfolded.

When I popped The Children of Huang Shi into my DVD player I had no idea what to expect. I feared it would be a dreary war story with too many subtitles, but I was pleasantly surprised. The Children of Huang-Shi is a war story, but it's one that focuses on the people involved rather than the events that unfolded.

Based on a true story, the film takes place in the 1930s during the Japanese occupation of China, and chronicles the experience of British journalist George Hogg (Jonathan Rhys Myers). When George arrives in China, he feels it is his duty to place himself in the heart of the action and document the atrocities he witnesses. Despite the fact that this puts him in a great deal of danger, George is annoyed when Lee (Radha Mitchell), a more experienced aid worker, ushers him to a shabby boys' school and leaves him there. He announces that he wants to get back to the front lines and write about the war, but Lee immediately cuts him down. This "school" is actually an orphanage, and every single boy has a war story to tell.

Although George gets off to a rocky start with the boys (who find it very funny to call him Mr. Pig), he quickly realizes that they are in need of leadership and protection. His involvement is tentative at first, and begins with some shaky English lessons and a good delousing for everyone. His plans to plant a garden are dismissed as futile, but the boys have a change of heart when vegetables and sunflowers begin to peek out of the barren earth. It is George who provides some much-needed structure in their lives, and it is his advocacy that brings fresh food and supplies to the orphanage.

This is certainly not the work George imagined himself doing, but as the only person the boys can truly rely on, it's hard to imagine a more worthy pursuit. George is the one who steps up and leads the boys out of the war zone and into the safety of the desert, an epic and arduous journey that threatens their lives even as it promises a brighter future. What makes his leadership heroic is that it stems from a genuine desire to give these boys a chance at a better life. None of the friendships in this film are forged easily, but there is a depth to the bond between George and the boys (and between George and Lee) rarely seen on film or in life.

The Children of Huang Shi is a uniquely moving viewing experience, and only becomes more poignant when the real children of Huang Shi (now elderly men) share their memories of George and the impact he had on their lives.