Review of First They Killed My Father (2017) by Wayne K — 26 Nov 2017

Demonstrating her deep affinity and obvious respect for the Cambodian people, Angelina Jolie directs and co-writes First They Killed My Father, an examination of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. It's told, as tragic stories frequently are, through the eyes of a child.

Based on Loung Ung's real-life experiences, it details the overtaking of Phnom Penh, the banishment to the country and subsequent indoctrination, torture, starvation and death of many of it's citizens.

Strange, considering how well fed most of the people in it appear. Jolie directs the movie very efficiently, utilising sparse dialogue and focusing primarily on how the main character absorbs the horrors surrounding them.

Unfortunately, the child who plays the lead isn't that great, looking far too passive and uninvolved, like she's constantly waiting to be fed her next instruction. It flounders in the 3rd act, when it's more or less run out of things to say and has nothing else to do except wrap things up, which is done in a remarkably convenient way.

But if that's what happened in real life, how can you question it? I've long been interested in the Cambodian Genocide, and while this film didn't exactly provide me with any new information, it did give an insight into what it was like back when it was occurring.

There's little mention of what occurred in the capital, or the leaders of the revolution, and Loung's child solider transformation appears to have no effect whatsoever on her, since she acts the same way before and after.

But keeping the focus on the forced labourers invites us to experience what they did on a daily basis, as their country slowly fell apart around them. It's professionally made, unsentimental and highlights not only the hypocrisy of the revolutionary regime, but also the plight of those who were most affected by it.