First They Killed My Father

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1:43

First They Killed My Father

2017

2h 16m

Biography

History

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

74 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Loung Ung is 5 years old when the Khmer Rouge assumes power over Cambodia in 1975. They soon begin a four-year reign of terror and genocide in which nearly 2 million Cambodians die. Forced from her family's home in Phnom Penh, Ung is trained as a child soldier while her six siblings are sent to labor camps.

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Critics Consensus

First They Killed My Father tackles its subject matter with grace, skill, and empathy, offering a ground-level look at historic atrocities that resonates beyond its story's borders.

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

09/22/2017

4/5

[Angelina] Jolie's fourth narrative feature,confirms her as an exquisite craftswoman and an artist capable of tackling geopolitical complexities.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

09/22/2017

3.5/4

Jolie's latest is a strong adaptation of Loung's mind-blowing story, all of it anchored by a performance from Sareum that's simply marvelous.

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Stephanie Zacharek

TIME Magazine

09/21/2017

First They Killed My Father is a sensitively rendered account of one child's real-life experience, but its broader implications are noteworthy too.

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

Jun 18

4/5

A potent, powerful thunderclap of a film that affirms Angelina Jolie’s accomplished vision as artist and ambassador.

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Brendan Cassidy

InSession Film

07/02/2024

...much like young Loung, we constantly question that. This is far and away Angelina Jolie’s finest achievement as a director...

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Jamie Healy

Radio Times

05/02/2024

4/5

The dialogue is sparse and the timeline of events only hinted at, but Jolie's approach succeeds in capturing Loung's adaptation to the huge changes in her life.

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Per S

@RT83737705 Aug 21

This film creates a rare notion of watching reality, with acting performances beyond. A cinematographic masterpiece.

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Leaburn O

@RT35452347 May 28

Not a very good film adaptation of a not very good book. Watched on Betflix.

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Martin R

@RT93363966 May 11

I just watched this movie this year and it’s a great film to point out how U.S imperialism supported the genocide around in Cambodia. I highly recommend watching it if you’re very against the U.S empire for their actions of genocide of hundreds of years ago this movie is why you should watch it.

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Gareth D

@HiGarethDavies 11/24/2024

Gut wrenching, heart breaking, brutal and poignant. Narrative driven and extremely visual with very little dialogue. A powerful movie.

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Luis M. D

@RT44148560 11/24/2023

A historic drama narrated by a real-life survivor. It's as tense and gut-wrenching as the 1984 movie ‘The Killing Fields'. Definitely good!

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john f

@RT84127024 11/02/2022

An important addition to the films portraying this era in Southeast Asia, and an improvement in some ways to the classic The Killing Fields (namely in its ability to focus more attention on the Khmer people while doing so in a sensitive and humanizing way). That said, the film still does not offer explanations for the decisions made by the Khmer Rouge (the fact that Pol Pot's ideas had come directly out of China), and the portrayal of the Vietnamese invasion and occupation is overly positive and incomplete (to be fair that wasn't the focus of this film).

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Angelina Jolie

Director

Sareum Srey Moch

Loung Ung

Phoeung Kompheak

Pa Ung

Sveng Socheata

Ma Ung

Tharoth Sam

Khmer Rouge Leader

Loung Ung

Screenwriter

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First They Killed My Father: Trailer 1

1:43

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Synopsis

Loung Ung is 5 years old when the Khmer Rouge assumes power over Cambodia in 1975. They soon begin a four-year reign of terror and genocide in which nearly 2 million Cambodians die. Forced from her family's home in Phnom Penh, Ung is trained as a child soldier while her six siblings are sent to labor camps.

Director: Angelina Jolie
Producer: Rithy Panh, Ted Sarandos
Screenwriter: Loung Ung
Production Co: Netflix
Genre: Biography, History, Drama
Original Language: Khmer
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 15, 2017
Runtime: 2h 16m

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