First They Killed My Father Netflix Movie Review

First They Killed My Father (2017)

Watch First They Killed My Father on Netflix // Read the Book First They Killed My Father
Written by: Loung Ung & Angelina Jolie (screenplay), Loung Ung (based on the book by)
Directed by: Angelina Jolie
Starring:  Sareum Srey Moch, Phoeung Kompheak, Sveng Socheata
Rated: TV-MA

Plot
Directed by Angelina Jolie, this historical thriller is based on Loung Ung's memoir of surviving the Pol Pot regime during the Khmer Rouge years.

Verdict
The subject matter and presentation often makes this feel more like a documentary than a movie, but the lack of a narrator to provide context makes you want to stop the movie and read about the facts of the Cambodian genocide.
While it captures the viewpoint of a child, faithful to the source material, we need a viewpoint of someone that knows what's going on because the child protagonist doesn't and thus implication is heavy with real details sparse. First They Killed My Father implies much more than it shows. The historical context is important and elevates my verdict.
It depends.

Review
I applaud this movie for its authenticity. It's not catering to an English speaking crowd or including a white protagonist which sets it apart from The Killing Fields (1984), but that movie provided a more complete picture of what happened instead of leaving us to look up the facts on our own.
Read my review of The Killing Fields. It's a tough watch but it maintains a focus and goal, where First They Killed My Father doesn't have the same momentum. It opens with The Rolling Stones song 'Sympathy for the Devil' which I doubt was a big hit in Cambodia, and is such a frequent staple of movies set in the '70s that it has become a trope.

Told from a child's perspective this has a unique feel as it captures the child's confusion. While the child doesn't know what's happening, we get the implication. This disconnect hurts the movie because we're not told enough information. While I'm sure this is faithful to the source material, I wanted a broader look at what happened and a driving force behind the movie. The limited perspective leaves a lot that the movie doesn't explain. While it's good that the movie encourages me to look up more information, that's good only to a point. I'm forced to read more instead of encouraged. I'm doing all the work where with The Killing Fields I was merely augmenting the overall narrative, with this movie I'm providing it. First They Killed My Father implies much more than it shows.

Comparisons to The Killing Fields don't help. While i appreciate this movie doesn't' have a white savior and strives for authenticity, we need a character that knows and shows us more, painting a better picture of the events. If this movie is to make people aware of the atrocities committed, it definitely succeeds in that. Anyone that watches this movie will want to go to wikipedia to read more, but as a movie it leaves me wanting more. Cutting thirty minutes out of this movie wouldn't be detrimental. It's strength is encouraging viewers to find out more.