Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

“Java, 1942 — A clash of cultures, a test of the human spirit.”

Major Jack Celliers (David Bowie) is a British officer brought to a Japanese prison camp on Java in 1942, where Captain Yonoi (Ryuichi Sakamoto) runs everything by a strict code. Colonel Lawrence (Tom Conti), who knows Japanese language and customs, stands between the prisoners and the guards, including the brutal Sergeant Hara (Takeshi Kitano). Nagisa Ōshima films the camp as a place where two stubborn men face each other, and he rarely lets the camera look away.