Chinese netizens riled over delay of 731, film about horrific Japanese human experiments
Weibo users are unhappy that the film about Unit 731’s wartime human experiments on Chinese citizens has been pushed back
A highly anticipated Chinese film that over 3 million users have marked as “want to see” on the Chinese ticket-selling platform Maoyan has sparked discussion on Weibo after its release was changed from July 31 to the more ambiguous “2025”.
Directed by filmmaker Zhao Linshan and starring well-known mainland Chinese actors including Jiang Wu and Wang Zhiwen, the film tells the story from an ordinary civilian’s point of view, unveiling the history of the horrific human experiments conducted by Unit 731.
Its release was timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the end of the Sino-Japanese conflict, but its sensitive content has sparked concerns over whether it will be released on schedule.
Earlier this week, several film content creators shared their thoughts regarding the postponement of the film’s official release, leading to speculation from netizens.
Some users said that the controversial subject and potentially violent scenes may be subject to censorship. Other comments pointed out the existence of takedown petitions, presumably due to the nature of the film.