A correction to a previous reviewer:
I was following along interested in the review for the first few paragraphs, in which the reviewer correctly noted the complexity, humanity, and even vague charisma of Duch in the film. In this Rithy Panh's work reminded me of François Bizot's book, THE GATE ("Le portail" in French), in which the author too recounts an encounter with Duch, in a different prison, before Rithy Panh met him, indeed before the KR actually took over the country. That Duch too was complex, that Duch was a good comrade in many ways, that Duch had a moral compass.
However, the reviewer then mistakenly attributes the bulk of the suffering of the Cambodian people to American carpet bombing during the KR period. The reviewer even suggests that the plans of the KR may have been beneficial to Cambodians, but that they could not carry them out due to the American bombs.
It is important however to understand how false this is. The Americans did indeed carpet bomb Cambodia relentlessly, but they did so earlier than the KR period, not during it. In fact the US recognized the KR government. According to Ben Kiernan, Kissinger's (and friends') punishment of the Cambodians transformed a meek and slim Communist presence into the highly oiled machine with filled ranks that was the Khmer Rouge. So blame the Americans. But blame the KR as well.
One of the great tensions of this film is that Rithy Panh shows Duch in his humanity, but also the evil that humanity is capable of doing. Unfortunately the bad guys do not always look like vampires; and this makes them all the more terrifying.
I was following along interested in the review for the first few paragraphs, in which the reviewer correctly noted the complexity, humanity, and even vague charisma of Duch in the film. In this Rithy Panh's work reminded me of François Bizot's book, THE GATE ("Le portail" in French), in which the author too recounts an encounter with Duch, in a different prison, before Rithy Panh met him, indeed before the KR actually took over the country. That Duch too was complex, that Duch was a good comrade in many ways, that Duch had a moral compass.
However, the reviewer then mistakenly attributes the bulk of the suffering of the Cambodian people to American carpet bombing during the KR period. The reviewer even suggests that the plans of the KR may have been beneficial to Cambodians, but that they could not carry them out due to the American bombs.
It is important however to understand how false this is. The Americans did indeed carpet bomb Cambodia relentlessly, but they did so earlier than the KR period, not during it. In fact the US recognized the KR government. According to Ben Kiernan, Kissinger's (and friends') punishment of the Cambodians transformed a meek and slim Communist presence into the highly oiled machine with filled ranks that was the Khmer Rouge. So blame the Americans. But blame the KR as well.
One of the great tensions of this film is that Rithy Panh shows Duch in his humanity, but also the evil that humanity is capable of doing. Unfortunately the bad guys do not always look like vampires; and this makes them all the more terrifying.
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