Harrowing Film (possible spoiler in last paragraph)

Rating: 10/10 (15 June 2003)

This movie is not well known, but it needs to be "discovered" by more people. It seems like movies where the protagonist is not from a familiar culture wind up being limited in popularity, and this film deserves better than that. Westerners all too often forget about the atrocities committed in Cambodia, and this film documents the suffering of the people in a very personal way.
Haing S. Ngor gives one of the best performances I have ever seen recorded on film. Certainly, his real-life experience living through the Pol Pot regime must have given him a lot to draw on, but it is still remarkable that an untrained actor could convey so much. He deserved every bit of the praise he got, including the Academy Award. The other performances are also excellent, especially John Malkovich and the somewhat-maligned Sam Waterston.
I agree with the other reviewers that this movie avoids the implication of the US government in the rise of Pol Pot, as well as the Vietnamese connection. But, as a depiction of one man's harrowing experience in the reeducation camps, putting politics aside, it is still an extremely worthwhile movie. Hopefully, people will want to learn more after seeing it, and will educate themselves further on the history of this amazing country.
I saw this movie for the first time before visiting Cambodia in person, and when I visited the actual killing fields outside of Phnom Penh, I finally realized how realistic the scene of Pran falling into a pit with hundreds of bodies was. If you're planning on visiting Cambodia, this movie should be required viewing. Anyone who underestimates the realism of this film needs to visit the country - and speak to the survivors.