It was great

Rating: Null/10 (25 September 2011)

Sydney Schanberg opened the world's eyes to the devastation in Cambodia. Before his report many westerners thought of it as a paradise, "Another world, a secret world" Sydney once referred to it as. What many people didn't realize was that the war in neighboring Vietnam expanded its borders into Cambodia, which was neutral at the time. In 1973, Sydney went to cover this horrid event for the New York Times. He then met Dith Pran, a Cambodian journalist and interpreter. Pran states that if the war continues it can lead to a catastrophic end for Cambodia. Eventually Sydney returns to New York and wins a Pulitzer Prize for his story while Pran is trapped in a concentration camp led by rebels. The guilt of leaving Pran behind and exploiting him starts to eat at Sydney to the point where he returns back to the war-torn country to find his friend and confront his unatoned sins. Pran escapes the "killing field" and is reunited with Sydney in a Red Cross camp. It is there that Sydney begs for his forgiveness, but Pran replies "nothing to forgive, Sydney". I really love movies that test the bonds of friendships. Everyone in this world has a friend that they would travel to Cambodia and back for, and it makes this story relatable. And seeing the war, the concentration camps and all the deaths shocked me tremendously. I was never able to imagine what Cambodia was like so seeing films that enhance my cultural knowledge are really beneficial. In fact, I think this movie is beneficial to all Emerson students. In a school based on international communication, it is important to know what the world around us is like.