A story of courage

Rating: 10/10 (14 October 2013)

The film is a drama about Cambodia war, which last from 1967 to 1975. Action takes place in the last years of the conflict. Sydney (Sam Waterston) is an American journalist covering the war at the peak of the violence displayed by the government: the Khmer rouge. The plot is based on Sydney's friend: Dith Pran (Haing S. Nor). He is a Cambodian photographer and journalist. Both of them usually face risky situations in different cities where the government is killing innocent people. For instance, a city called Neak Luong, which is destroyed, by mistake, by the American air force in 1973. The ruling party decides to expel foreigners and this represents a twist in the story. Both characters are forced to be separated; and facing opposite situations. Dith has to live in a concentration camp. In this place all the citizens were forced to work and to accept the party's ideas. If they did not obey, then they were killed. On the other hand, Sydney returns to a safe America. He begins the search of his friend and colleague in hopes of finding him alive. I enjoyed the film. However, the plot is sad and sometimes cruel. I highly recommend it because the story is still relevant.