A compelling film directed by Hollywood star Angelina Jolie deserves a spot on your Netflix viewing list.
First They Killed My Father, launched in 2017, is an adaptation of Loung Ung’s autobiographical book of the same name. The screenplay was co-written by Loung and Angelina.
The narrative unfolds in 1975, chronicling the harrowing experiences of five-year-old Loung, who is conscripted as a child soldier while her siblings are dispatched to labour camps under the oppressive Khmer Rouge regime that held sway over Cambodia from 1975 to 1979.
The cast of First They Killed My Father includes Sreymoch Sareum, Kompheak Phoeung, Sveng Socheata, Dara Heng, Sothea Khoun, Sreyneang Oun, Kimhak Mun, Chenda Run, Nika Sarun, and Nita Sarun.
The film predominantly features Cambodian actors and is largely delivered in the Khmer language.
Upon its release in September 2017, the film garnered positive reviews and was nominated for several prestigious awards, including a BAFTA and a Golden Globe, reports Mirror US.
The Guardian bestowed four stars upon the movie, praising Jolie for crafting an “created an accomplished piece of work” imbued with “genuine artistry.”
The BBC lauded First They Killed My Father as “vividly real” and “shaped with a sure artistic hand”.
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film boasts an approval rating of 88 percent, with an average score of 7.8 out of 10.
The 2017 Netflix sensation is summarised as follows: “In the 1970s, a middle-class Cambodian girl sees her family’s lives turning upside-down when the Khmer Rouge invades Cambodia. They leave their comfortable apartment and lifestyle to live in a primitive work camp. When her father, a former officer, is killed, the family splits to survive.”
This film marked Angelina’s fourth stint as a director. She first ventured into directing with 2011’s In the Land of Blood and Honey, followed by the 2014 success Unbroken, and then By the Sea in 2015.
After the release of First They Killed My Father in 2017, Angelina continued her directorial journey with Without Blood, which hit screens in 2024.
Reflecting on her experience as a director after the release of First They Killed My Father, Angelina shared with Screen Daily: “When you direct a film it is very different from when you act in a film, when you try to give your all and it’s a few months of your life and you have your part to play. When you direct a film, it’s years of your life, and it has to really matter to you because it’s all-consuming.”
First They Killed My Father is available to stream on Netflix