From the many mistakes of the Vietnam War was Pol Pot and the rise of the Kmer Rouge in Cambodia. "The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine" isn't interviews or a narration of events, it is about five to seven men who lived through the Khmer Rouge reign of terror from both sides. There were recollections from prisoners and guards alike.
Unfortunately there's no back story or history given. There are so many questions like who are the Khmer Rouge? How did they start? What were their aims? And much more. You can get some of that from John Pilger's documentary "Year Zero: The Silent Death of Cambodia" (1979). In this documentary we get to hear testimonies and see some reenactments, which was powerful in its own way, but I really wish we could've heard from more people and heard more about the Khmer Rouge as a whole.
At an hour and forty minutes this documentary is about thirty minutes longer than it needs to be based upon the format. It's mostly testimonials that were repetitive and probably on the milder side (when it came to the Khmer Rouge soldiers). They read some journals, reviewed some documents, and showed the, now defunct, prison. I think its full impact was dampened by this format even though I think it's important that the victims as well as the perpetrators speak about the experience.
Free on YouTube.
Unfortunately there's no back story or history given. There are so many questions like who are the Khmer Rouge? How did they start? What were their aims? And much more. You can get some of that from John Pilger's documentary "Year Zero: The Silent Death of Cambodia" (1979). In this documentary we get to hear testimonies and see some reenactments, which was powerful in its own way, but I really wish we could've heard from more people and heard more about the Khmer Rouge as a whole.
At an hour and forty minutes this documentary is about thirty minutes longer than it needs to be based upon the format. It's mostly testimonials that were repetitive and probably on the milder side (when it came to the Khmer Rouge soldiers). They read some journals, reviewed some documents, and showed the, now defunct, prison. I think its full impact was dampened by this format even though I think it's important that the victims as well as the perpetrators speak about the experience.
Free on YouTube.