Der weite Weg der Hoffnung

I only like realistic movies and this is as real as it gets. Incredible acting and directing. I'm still amazed at how they get six year olds to act so authentically. If you like historically accurate movies, this one's for you. If anything, they downplayed the brutality of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.

What happens when all the norms of civilization implode. Filmed from the perspective of that of a child, superbly played by, first time actress Sareum Srey Moch who puts in a stunning performance. Perhaps we as adults forget the skills we had as children, like "Let's pretend" and those that relearn them are endowed with great wealth and honour. Angelina Jolie must be congratulated on her lightness of touch, definitely no Hollywood here. The cinematography is well shot, mostly at the height of a child which helps reinforce the helplessness of the protagonists in the dystopian, year zero world that is Cambodia in 1975. There have been many other films that give a more rounded interpretation of this period but none to my recollection, from the perspective of a child, and this is something that all of us can relate to given the special talents of Sareum Srey Moch, who magically takes us back to how a seven year old sees the world, for better or for worse.

With such a gut-wrenching subject matter of the Khmer Rouge regime and the memoir being such an emotionally complex read and going full throttle with the horror, 'First They Killed My Father' intrigued from the get go. Also wanted to see how actress Angelina Jolie fared as director, another reason for seeing the film.

Saw 'First They Killed My Father' on Neflix a while ago but, as one can tell, it took me a while to get round to reviewing it, due to music commitments, my "to watch and review" list getting longer constantly and also that it took a while to gather my thoughts on the film. Can see both sides of the argument of both like and dislike. 'First They Killed My Father' is a very admirable film with a lot of strengths and some very powerful moments, but the memoir and the actual events are much more harrowing.

'First They Killed My Father' is an incredibly well made film with some truly beautiful images, evocative production design and atmospheric scenery. Jolie directs more than competently, the visual style is spot on and she does a great job ensuring that the perspective doesn't get too biased or one-sided, like when Loung sees good in the enemy in the scene with the captured soldier. Telling the story through the eyes of a child was a brave choice and makes for a persuasive argument, this way prejudice and politics don't muddle or overshadow the story and the potential trap of being too innocent is thankfully strayed away from.

There are moments of great poignancy and power, not just the above scene but also the older sister's murder, the scolding and especially the walk through the blood-stained forest (the closest the film gets to capturing the full horror of what the regime was like). 'First They Killed My Father' is a thought-provoking film too and the message resonates and is still an important one.

Loung is a person one identifies with and roots for every step of the way, and Sareum Srey Moch's extraordinary and very touching performance is an enormous part of why.

On the other hand, while the restrained approach is laudable and somewhat appreciated rather than going the excessively graphic and potentially gratuitous route, 'First They Killed My Father' doesn't quite go full force dramatically and could have taken more risks. Not be as intrepid in showing the regime's full horrors, which were bloody so the graphic nature actually would have been a valid and necessary approach.

Can understand what the film was trying to do, but some genuinely powerful. harrowing and poignant scenes (especially the empathising of the captured soldier, the death of the sister, the scolding and the blood-stained forest) are not quite enough in a film that tends to treat the subject in a way that's too careful, muted and tame.

A tighter pace, less of the idyllic lingering shots and images (beautiful they are and some make an emotional impact, but not escaping the traps of self-indulgence, being distracting and not having much to them other than looking good) and more dialogue (which may have given the film more flow and cohesion) would have probably solved this.

In conclusion, good admirable film but could have been more. 7/10 Bethany Cox

The film is Netflix polished with breathtaking scenes and a suspenseful atmosphere. The story is based on truth from a 7 year old girls perspective during the rise of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.

Scenes of family survival and the horrors of war hold up well and should be of delight to anyone interested in the politics that engulfed South East Asia during the 1970's.

The dialogue in the movie is very basic but I'm left to wonder whether that was the intention as the story is from a small child's perspective trying to make sense of her surroundings.

There is very little in character development or details on what is actually happening politically in the movie in most scenes.

I would recommend people read into the Khmer Rouge before watching as it would make a more enjoyable movie experience, paying particular attention as the why Western Allied Nations supported such a brutal regime after the fall of Vietnam to the Communists.

God bless to all those in Cambodia that lived and died through this troubled time, great movie and certainly brought regular tears to my eyes.

A movie based on Long Ung's autobiography about her childhood memories as a child soldier during the Khmer Rouge regime. First they Killed my Father is an incredibly moving story. The camera angles are set low and at times the story seems slow, and throughout has little dialogue, but in the end this works well in telling this story from a child's perspective.

I did not expect that I would have been so emotional after watching this movie. And several times, I found myself revisiting both the troubling and precious moments portrayed in the film. Perhaps it's because my earliest memories of television are news film of war in Indochina, and the opening scenes briefly show Long Ung standing beside a black and white television, with similar vision playing while the Khmer Rouge are marching down the streets outside. I found myself trying to compare my childhood to hers. For me this alone is powerful. Don't expect any big history questions to be answered or seek to ask who's responsible, this isn't needed to see this story as it would have been seen through the eyes of a child.