overview

The Muyu Middle School in Muyu, Qingchuan County, Sichuan, collapsed in the 512 Wenchuan earthquake, killing 286 students according to official statistics; but the actual death toll is not just that. The director Pan Jianlin, who has been in the area since the sixth day after the earthquake, uses interviews to contrast the different perspectives and statements of the students who escaped the disaster, the teachers who are afraid of taking responsibility, the parents who are desperate, the government officials who are hiding the facts to maintain the government's image, and the rescue workers who are on the run, creating a ridiculous tragedy that is like a Rashomon.