One of the virtues of travel is its ability to teach the sojourner about the places they are visiting in a vivid and personal way. My recent visit to Cambodia was one of the best travel learning experiences I've ever had. I learned so much and it has caused me to seek out more information about this fascinating country to help expand upon the knowledge I gained during my trip, even after returning to Indonesia.
I recently happened upon a film directed by Angelina Jolie in 2017, First They Killed My Father, which describes the experience of 7-year-old Luong Ung, whose family is forced to move to a Khmer Rouge work camp when the Communist Khmer forces took over Cambodia in 1975, and is based on Ung's memoir of the same name.
The film traces the path from Ung's family's forced march from their home in the capital Phnom Penh to a work camp where they are compelled to surrender all their property and are subjected to brutal conditions and deprivations. The movie is told from little Luong's perspective and is a poignant portrayal of her lost childhood, her father's murder, and her forced enlistment as a child soldier.
The entire cast is astonishing, the cinematography of the Cambodian landscape is stunning, and the tragedies that befall Luong's family tear at your emotions. And it is an incredible depiction of the historical horror that was Khmer Rouge rule during the time between 1975-1979. It's an epic film that most critics agree is Jolie's best work as a film maker.
The performance of Sreymoch Sareum, the girl who played Luong, deserves special mention. It's one of the very best "child actor" performances I've ever witnessed, especially when one considers the difficulty of the role.
First They Killed My Father is not a joyful movie and it deals with an unpleasant topic, but it is an essential film because it is imploring us to never forget the atrocities committed in Cambodia during that time. It also contains a reminder that the President Nixon's bombing campaign of Cambodia, a technically neutral country, where more than 110,000 tons of bombs where dropped by the U.S., many of them landing on civilian targets. Not only was this a humanitarian catastrophe, this bombing campaign enflamed rural Cambodians and helped ensure the rise of the Khmer Rouge. Hopefully, it is a reminder of the horrors my nation often unleashes on the world, especially for those who overlook U.S. complicity in these kinds of terrible events.
Despite the film's disturbing content, First They Killed My Father, contains a few hopeful notes at its conclusion and it actually ends in a moment of peace. It's a powerful story you won't soon forget.
I watched First They Killed My Father on Indonesian Netflix and I believe it is still available on Netflix in most nations of the world.
Rating **** (out of 5* possible)--Jolie has created an epic, classic film with great historical value, stunning cinematography, and incredible acting.
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