Erinome: Hello dear friends, today we are going to talk about the topic of a very popular new movie called "Nanjing Photo Studio".

Enceladus: Oh, I've heard about that one! It's been all over the news. It seems like everyone is talking about it.

Erinome: Yes, exactly! It's a huge hit. The news says its box office has already passed 2.3 billion yuan.

Enceladus: Wow, 2.3 billion! That's a lot of money. They predict it might even reach over 4 billion yuan.

Erinome: It's true. It has even broken the summer box office record for a historical film in China.

Enceladus: A historical film? That's surprising. Usually, action movies or comedies are the most popular ones in summer. What is it about?

Erinome: Well, the story is set in 1937, during the Nanjing Massacre. It's a very serious topic.

Enceladus: Oh, no. That sounds very sad. Is it a war movie with a lot of fighting?

Erinome: Not exactly. The story focuses on a small photo studio called "Jixiang Photo Studio". It's about a group of ordinary people.

Enceladus: Ordinary people? So, not soldiers?

Erinome: Right. For example, the main character is a postman named A Chang. He is played by Liu Haoran. At first, he is just a normal person trying to stay alive.

Enceladus: And what happens to him?

Erinome: He sees the terrible things the Japanese soldiers are doing, and he changes. He becomes very brave.

Enceladus: I see. So it's about how normal people become heroes. Are there other important characters?

Erinome: Yes, there's a woman named Yuxiu, played by Gao Ye. She is an actress who dreamed of being a star. She also shows great courage.

Enceladus: What do they do? How do they fight back?

Erinome: They find some photos, some film negatives. These photos are evidence of the crimes committed by the Japanese army.

Enceladus: So their weapon is... a camera? And photos?

Erinome: You could say that. They try to protect these negatives. They believe these photos are the truth of history and they must be saved.

Enceladus: That sounds like a very powerful story. Using truth to fight.

Erinome: It is. One article described a scene where a Japanese photographer forces Yuxiu to smile for a picture while she is holding her dead baby.

Enceladus: Oh my god, that's horrible. I can't even imagine.

Erinome: It's very shocking. The movie shows how the invaders tried to use "friendship photos" to hide what they were really doing.

Enceladus: So the movie is very direct about showing the cruelty of the war.

Erinome: Yes. There is another scene where A Chang is in the darkroom, developing a photo. The photo shows a drawing of a bleeding heart and a Chinese character, "chi".

Enceladus: What does "chi" mean?

Erinome: It means "shame" or "disgrace". It's a very strong word. The red light in the darkroom makes it look like the eyes of the 300,000 victims are watching.

Enceladus: That gives me chills just hearing about it. It must be very emotional to watch.

Erinome: For sure. But you know what's also interesting? The movie is also very popular in Taiwan.

Enceladus: Really? In Taiwan? What do people there think about it?

Erinome: Well, the Taiwan Affairs Office talked about it. The spokesperson, Zhu Fenglian, said that many Taiwanese compatriots have watched the movie.

Enceladus: And what was their comment?

Erinome: She said the movie is like a "vivid history lesson". It helps people to remember the history of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

Enceladus: A history lesson. That makes sense.

Erinome: Yes, and she said she hopes people from both sides of the strait can remember this history together. This year is very special, you know that?

Enceladus: Why is it special?

Erinome: It's the 80th anniversary of the victory of the war. It is also the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's retrocession.

Enceladus: Oh, I see the connection now. So the movie's release is very timely.

Erinome: Exactly. The spokesperson hopes everyone can work together to protect the victory of the war, which includes Taiwan returning to the motherland.

Enceladus: So it’s not just a movie, it has a deeper meaning for cross-strait relations.

Erinome: It seems so. They also organized other events, like a trip for journalists to Hunan to visit old battlefields and a history exchange for teachers and students in Hubei.

Enceladus: So there's a big effort to focus on this shared history this year.

Erinome: Yes. And going back to the movie, one of the articles made another interesting point.

Enceladus: What's that?

Erinome: It talks about how the movie shows that the Japanese soldiers were once just normal young men. In the photo studio, they took pictures where they looked gentle and even shy.

Enceladus: That's a scary thought. That normal people can be turned into killers.

Erinome: It is. The article says that militarism was like a poison that changed them. It made them believe that killing was their duty.

Enceladus: Wow. So the movie is not just about good versus evil, but also about how evil is made.