Empire of the Sun (1987)

War themes, infrequent coarse language

Based on J. G. Ballard's autobiographical novel, tells the story of a boy, James Graham, whose privileged life is upturned by the Japanese invasion of Shanghai, December 8, 1941. For young Jim Graham (Christian Bale), the imaginative son of a British factory owner, this means school and play carry on as normal. But Jim’s innocence is soon shattered, and he’s thrown into a terrifying ordeal that starts with separation from his parents, and forces him to quickly mature from dependent child to resourceful survivor. After a short time free but utterly alone, Jim seeks help from Basie (John Malkovich), a scheming American. He is eventually captured and taken to Soo Chow confinement camp, next to a captured Chinese airfield. Amidst the sickness and food shortages in the camp, Jim attempts to reconstruct his former life, all the while bringing spirit and dignity to those around him. Jim balances the overwhelming collection of emotions to allow us to see him survive, grow, and change from innocent child to wizened adolescent survivor.