Victor Liang
International Relations POL 5900 01[16273] (Kingsborough CC)
Film: “First They Killed My Father” on Netflix
The film “First They Killed My Father” is directed by Angelina Jolie and screen written by Loung Ung. This film first made an appearance in 2017 with major actors like as Sareum Sreymoch, Phoeung Kompheak, Sveng Socheata, Dara Heng, Sothea Khoun, Sreyneang Oun, Kimhak Mun, Chenda Run, Nika Sarun and Nita Sarun. Sareum plays the persona of Loung Ung, where the story revolves around her point of view. The film takes place during 1975 in Cambodia where it was under a brutal regime, the Khmer Rouge, who operated as the communist party. Simultaneously, the Northern Vietnamese forces were being bombed by the United States, the United states was trying to prevent communism from spreading to Cambodia while they were protecting southern Vietnam. However, the people of Northern Vietnam had attempted to take shelter in “neutral areas” or territories which led to the beginning of the Cambodian civil war. But, when the United States pulled out of Cambodia, this allowed for Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge to take over and strip every one of their former lives.
From the beginning of the film to the end, you are able to see the circumstances escalate, all from the perspective of a 5-year-old, Loung Ung. Throughout the film, you can see the living conditions and the fears of the Khmer Rouge worsen as the war becomes intensifies. The films point of view is from a witness stand point. In the film, it is clear that under the regime, Cambodians were deprived of their human rights. Such as forced labor, disease, kidnappings, killings, separation of families, executions, starvation, brainwashing and sociological warfare that took place which is depicted very strongly throughout the film. The atmosphere of this film creates an emotion of wickedness and sorrow as the details of the film help immerse the viewer into the film. The film’s entirety looks very clear and real, as if you can “jump” into the movie. The aesthetically beautiful scenery of Cambodia is shown during flashbacks, but it’s soon met with the negative aspects of war. The realistic hardships that Loung Ung and her family both witness and go through, show the true nature of what happened during the Khmer Rouge regime. Loung Ung and her family prior to the regime, lived in the capital of Cambodia Phnom Penh, where they lived in a house and had their freedoms. Since they were forced to leave and live in poor conditions, Loung Ung continues to have flashbacks of how life “was” or “could be”. Several people in Cambodia supported the Khmer Rouge as they were against Vietnam. But, the regime of Pol Pot and his militia caused a mass genocide of around 1.5 to 2 million Cambodians from the years 1975 to 1979.
What stands out in this film, particularly to me, is the constant reoccurrence of flashbacks that Loung Ung gets. These flashbacks add emotional value to the film, especially since Loung is a very young girl, it gives an insight into how she feels or what she thinks about during key parts of the film. Learning and being taught about what took place during the Vietnam war and key events that were triggered due to the war is different from watching a movie about it. I believe what also makes this movie stand out is, it’s ability to show you the emotional and mental toll that is that Cambodians go through witnessing murder, forced labor, child recruitment, rape, or more specifically in this film, a genocide.
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted by the General Assembly on 1948, declared that the crime of genocide was an international law after the atrocities committed during the Second World War. According to the Genocide Convention, “Genocide is a crime that can take place both in time of war as well as in time of peace”, meaning that the genocide that took place in Cambodia was a violation to this treaty and considered as a violation of human rights. States who have ratified and acceded this document, have an obligation to do necessary measures to prevent and to punish the crime of genocide. This film shows how essential international relations is, as foreign policies must be enforced to keep states in check, to make sure every single individual that their basic human rights are ensured. Furthermore, this demonstrates how difficult it is to enforce international laws globally as this horrible genocide occurred several years after the Genocide Convention. For this reason, international relations proves it’s importance for providing a wide scope of theories allowing actors to reach to resolutions like the crimes committed in Cambodia.
The horrific tragedy that Loung and her family, and the rest of the people in Cambodia, is all told though the eyes and mind of a child. Forced from her home and trained as a child soldier, the constant conditioning done by the by the Khmer Rouge on Loung’s mind. The film shows the surreal horror but will often show that, “in darkness there is light” or where there is family, there will be happiness.
Self-Assessment: I would give myself a B- instead of an A+, as I feel that I could have done more but I do meet most of the requirements. I could have went more in depth with the details, however as it is a film review I did not want to spoil or reveal too much of the movie. I understand that this is not a complete documentary but a thriller. It was my mistake, I searched up documentaries on genocides and this movie popped up. Overall, I would still prefer to give myself full points of 10 but I’ll stick with 7.5 pts.
Sources:
https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/genocide-convention.shtml
