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- 2017
- TV-MA
- Netflix
- 2 h 16 m
- 2017
- TV-MA
- Netflix
- 2 h 16 m
Summary First They Killed My Father is the adaptation of Cambodian author and human rights activist Loung Ung’s gripping memoir of surviving the deadly Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1978. The story is told through her eyes, from the age of five, when the Khmer Rouge came to power, to nine years old. The film depicts the indomitable spirit & de...
Directed By: Angelina Jolie
Written By: Loung Ung, Angelina Jolie
- 2017
- TV-MA
- Netflix
- 2 h 16 m
- 2017
- TV-MA
- Netflix
- 2 h 16 m
First They Killed My Father
72
7.3
Where to Watch
Summary First They Killed My Father is the adaptation of Cambodian author and human rights activist Loung Ung’s gripping memoir of surviving the deadly Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1978. The story is told through her eyes, from the age of five, when the Khmer Rouge came to power, to nine years old. The film depicts the indomitable spirit & de...
Directed By: Angelina Jolie
Written By: Loung Ung, Angelina Jolie
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
72
77% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
23% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
72
77% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
23% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Angelina Jolie's First They Killed My Father is far and away her best work as a director: a rare film about a national tragedy told through the eyes and mind of a child, and as fine a war movie as has ever been made.
It’s an artful, quietly affecting piece of filmmaking, more than worth the lessons learned.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 47 User Ratings
7.3
70% Positive
33 Ratings
33 Ratings
21% Mixed
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
9% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 47 User Ratings
7.3
70% Positive
33 Ratings
33 Ratings
21% Mixed
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
9% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
“First They Killed My Father” is a very difficult movie to watch. I had known much about the Cambodian genocide under the Khmer Rouge, nevertheless it was painful to slog through this tale, at points my emotion overcame me. The story is a quiet horror unfolding scene by scene, without much gore but with the stronger dread of helplessness in the face of a universal terror all around you. The true fear of this film is watching your beautiful world and family torn apart by forces over which you have absolutely no control. As a father I simply cannot imagine the strength of character it took for Leung’s parents to hold their family together with stoicism, courage and smiles in the face of such unimaginable horror.
Leung herself is a master class. You can see her struggle to hold onto her childhood and innocence as it is torn away from her, and even till the end she does not give in. Looking at this terrible dark chapter of human history through her eyes is a new perspective. Her wits, sharpness and determination were her ultimate survival skills. As the namesake of the movie, the moments when the parents were forever separated from their kids made me choke up in a way few movies have.
I am so glad this true story was told in an unfiltered manner, in the harsh depiction it deserves. To this day Cambodia has unhealed wounds, as the demons of the Khmer Rouge have been largely unpunished. In the outside world fresh horrors have unfolded since in Bosnia, Rwanda, Myanmar and now Xinjiang. The world continues to sit silent and observe. I will be eternally grateful to Angelina Jolie for her sheer masterful direction and support to bring this must see story to the big screen.
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It's an awesome movie. I enjoyed every aspect of what Angelina and her team did to make the reality of book come to life. Great cinematography, acting and directing. I absolutely recommend everyone reading my comment to watch it.
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This is Jolie’s most accomplished work yet.
Jolie has crafted an intimate epic about a tough war subject that probably would have gone unmade without her humanitarian influence and star power. First They Killed My Father is a much more assured film, even if a bogged-down middle section prevents it from greatness.
We only see what Loung sees, feel what she experiences but through her ordeal there develops an emotional connection to a country undergoing some of its darkest hours.
It is gorgeous and suspenseful, and it rushes heedlessly into dangerous terrain.
Amid all the important facts, I longed for something unnecessary from the filmmaker, some expressive flourish whose sole purpose isn’t just to convey information. Again I find myself typing the words, “It’s an unquestionably worthy story, I just wish it was told with more inventiveness.”
Looks nice......they got the asia sky hues just right. But the whole film plays out like the poor unfortunates are bored at the worlds most basic holiday camp than at a holocaust site. It's a Lifetime TV safe version of events. Also as an aside, i wondered as i was watching the film, why the director changed her Cambodian kids names to an American variant instead of keeping their original Cambodian versions.....BORED to death(camp).
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Production Company
Netflix,
Bophana Production,
Jolie Pas Productions
Release Date Sep 15, 2017
Duration 2 h 16 m
Rating TV-MA
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Nomination
CinEuphoria Awards
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
Women Film Critics Circle Awards
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
