First They Killed My Father (2017)
During the Vietnam War, the fighting spills over into neighboring Cambodia when the United States military begins bombing North Vietnamese forces attempting to shelter in the neutral territory, commencing the Cambodian Civil War. The U.S. then pulls out of Cambodia and evacuates its embassy. An officer of the Khmer National Armed Forces, Ung, known as “Pa” to his seven children, including 5-year-old Loung Ung, expresses regret for having trusted the Americans as the Khmer Rouge draw closer. The Khmer Rouge forces all families to leave the city as refugees, under the pretext that it will be bombed by Americans. Pa Ung denies working for the government when questioned by the Khmer Rouge soldiers, knowing that he will be killed in cold blood if discovered. The family is found by “Uncle” (Loung’s maternal uncle), Pa’s brother-in-law, and Loung’s family stays with Uncle’s family for some time. However, at the insistence of Uncle’s wife, who fears the consequences if Pa’s identity is discovered, Loung’s family has to leave.
After days of travel they are rounded up by Khmer Rouge soldiers and taken with other refugees to a labor camp, where they have to build their own shelter and are forced to work under harsh conditions. Their possessions are confiscated, food is scarce as all crops are sent to fighting units, and any attempt to get more food is punished with merciless beatings. Loung is a witness to her siblings’ merciless beatings as they try to get more food for themselves and their family. Aside from hard work, the camp preaches the regime propaganda, and any foreign items (including life-saving medicine) are forbidden and carry a death penalty. Loung’s two oldest brothers and oldest sister are reassigned to other camps, and soon afterward her sister dies from sickness and starvation. One day Loung sees Pa taken away by the Khmer Rouge officials to repair a bridge. Knowing what awaits him, he says goodbye to his wife and children. Later on, Loung has a nightmare in which she sees him executed and buried in a mass grave.
Date of download: 2015-11-11T17:22:34+00:00
| Cast: |
Sareum Srey Moch
Phoeung Kompheak
Sveng SocheataDuring the Vietnam War, the fighting spills over into neighboring Cambodia when the United States military begins bombing North Vietnamese forces attempting to shelter in the neutral territory, commencing the Cambodian Civil War. The U.S. then pulls out of Cambodia and evacuates its embassy. An officer of the Khmer National Armed Forces, Ung, known as “Pa” to his seven children, including 5-year-old Loung Ung, expresses regret for having trusted the Americans as the Khmer Rouge draw closer. The Khmer Rouge forces all families to leave the city as refugees, under the pretext that it will be bombed by Americans. Pa Ung denies working for the government when questioned by the Khmer Rouge soldiers, knowing that he will be killed in cold blood if discovered. The family is found by “Uncle” (Loung’s maternal uncle), Pa’s brother-in-law, and Loung’s family stays with Uncle’s family for some time. However, at the insistence of Uncle’s wife, who fears the consequences if Pa’s identity is discovered, Loung’s family has to leave.
After days of travel they are rounded up by Khmer Rouge soldiers and taken with other refugees to a labor camp, where they have to build their own shelter and are forced to work under harsh conditions. Their possessions are confiscated, food is scarce as all crops are sent to fighting units, and any attempt to get more food is punished with merciless beatings. Loung is a witness to her siblings’ merciless beatings as they try to get more food for themselves and their family. Aside from hard work, the camp preaches the regime propaganda, and any foreign items (including life-saving medicine) are forbidden and carry a death penalty. Loung’s two oldest brothers and oldest sister are reassigned to other camps, and soon afterward her sister dies from sickness and starvation. One day Loung sees Pa taken away by the Khmer Rouge officials to repair a bridge. Knowing what awaits him, he says goodbye to his wife and children. Later on, Loung has a nightmare in which she sees him executed and buried in a mass grave.
