Human Emotion in a world of Horror

Rating: 10/10 (1 August 2005)

Seeing the film again some 20 years after its premiere, its harrowing realism, its intense and gut-wrenching scenes of violence and desperation, its incredible suspense and riveting tale of survival is as powerful and heartbreaking today-- perhaps even more so. We can only compare the experiences of the Cambodian nation and people with all the subsequent horror stories--whether in Rwanda or Bosnia or Iraq. The film has, at its core, an amazing story to tell. But notice how so many of the scenes are filled with images of all of the innocents caught up in the unfolding horror story. There are so many close-ups of the "extras"--their faces filled with sorrow, or disbelief--or blankly staring out like masks of good and evil. The final closeup photos of young and old-- innocents caught up in the awesome and incomprehensible history of a tortured land are absolutely haunting. You sit through the movie and keep asking yourself--why, why, why does such cruelty exist on this earth. I recently visited Cambodia, and the breath-taking beauty of its culture and cultural history, the warmth and friendliness of its people makes the events of the late 20th century almost impossible to believe. And yet the events occurred.
The film is emotionally overwhelming--and what gets the viewer through the harrowing scenes are those scenes of basic human decency. As there are endless scenes of violence in the film, there are equally as many scenes of human kindness and compassion--scenes of the love of family members, of the dedication of the doctors helping those who are almost beyond help, of the desperate concern of all of Dith Pran's colleagues vainly trying to help him and of the heartfelt friendship of Dith Pran and Sydney Schanberg. Maybe basic human decency and those emotions of love and compassion is what is helping Cambodia recover, and will help all of the desperate people in this world caught up in war and conflict to eventually recover. Let's Hope!