Miller is looking for money, booze, and maybe some private time with gorgeous pro Yu Mo (Ni Ni), but in due time comes to take a serious moral interest in the lives of the women in his care.
Likewise, Yu Mo, who ends up in charge of the older women, comes to see the safety of the convent children as her redemptive mission, setting up a narrative of heroic sacrifice, and, if you can take a hint, divine intervention.
Yimou does not shy from the extravagant visual gesture. When we meet Bale's character, for instance, Yimou illustrates his status as an accidental angel by dipping him in white flour (the makings of bread, which has other implications. Sacramental wine plays a crucial role as well.).
Yimou also makes expressive use of the convent's stained-glass window, which becomes a sort of spiritual eye on the good and the evil below.
"Flowers of War" has been generally panned by critics, who've made entirely understandable arguments about its purple script and unwieldy blend of wartime horror, sentiment, comedy, and glossy romance (the gorgeous Ni Ni is rapturously photographed).
But I think some of Yimou's flourishes here may be more acceptable to a faith-based audience, provided they are willing to sit through some of the graphic, horror-of-war imagery.
If you're interested, be advised that the movie is getting a limited, haphazard release - at three theaters, including the Riverview, not normally home to Zhang Yimou.
Produced by Zhang Weiping, directed by Zhang Yimou, written by Lie Heng, music by Chan Quigang.
