Devils on the Doorstep

2001 139 min Drama, War

During the Japanese occupation of China, two prisoners are dumped in a peasant's home in a small town. The owner is bullied into keeping the prisoners until the next New Year, at which time they will be collected. The village leaders convene to interrogate the prisoners. The townspeople then struggle to accommodate the prisoners. One is a bellicose Japanese nationalist, the other a nervous translator. Will the townspeople manage to keep the prisoners until the New Year?

oscars

IMDb 8.2 RT 92 Metacritic 70

earnings $20,000

director Jiang Wen

writers Jiang Wen, Haiying Li, Shi Jianquan, Shu Ping, You Fengwei