Christian Bale is currently making the press rounds for Zhang Yimou's The Flowers of War.  In the film, Bale plays a Jesuit priest who takes refugees into his cathedral as the invading Japanese Imperial Army takes over Nanking in 1937.  It's a powerful true story so of course everyone wants to talk about him playing Batman in The Dark Knight Rises.  Bale says the upcoming film will explore Bruce Wayne's motivations, explaining:

"How long will you let the pain and loss define your life? Walking around chasing bad guys is very heroic and attracts attention, but at the end it all accounts for, as a means to deal with the pain of a huge loss."

Hit the jump for more on what Bale had to say about the upcoming superhero movie.  The Flowers of War will have an Oscar-qualifying run at the end of the year and is China's submission for Best Foreign Film.  The Dark Knight Rises opens July 20, 2012.

[Quotes via Ace Showbiz]

Bale went on to explain how the final installment in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy will have Bruce Wayne finally exploring the pain he's been running from:

"We agreed that Bruce Wayne is absolutely sincere as Bruce Wayne, and as Batman utterly sincere," the Oscar-winning actor added. "But Bruce Wayne, the playboy, is a pure facade, it's a lie he has, somehow, to control one side of your soul that's not really under control. In fact, only Alfred knows who he is. It's time for Bruce Wayne to face the pain that has always stirred his life."

Since Bale will also be leaving the franchise with Nolan after TDKR, he commented on how it feels to leave Batman behind:

"It's like saying goodbye to an old friend. When you have the opportunity to be a character so many times, you develop another relationship with him, a more profound one."

Profound relationship: a shared and deep-seated desire for throat lozenges.