For most of the year the local art museum screens a film every week. A week or so back they showed Red Cliff (2008, directed by John Woo). Going in I’m not quite sure what I was expecting other than something similar to the few Chinese films I’ve seen. I knew it was a war epic and so I expected the usual fighting and talk of freedom or protection of home. What I hadn’t expected, however, was the humanity infused into our heroes and even the villains. Throughout the film quiet moments between the characters allow us an insight into the culture and its importance to the people. Music and the traditional tea ceremony are woven carefully into the plot ushering both the violence of war and quiet moments of thought, both for the characters and the audience. The role of women within the film was refreshing and well played. The women were strong but still fit well within their traditional roles, holding true to the underlying focus on history and tradition. My only complaint i