20/50
Three French journalists travel to Cambodia in 1978 after receiving an invitation from the Khmer Rouge regime, setting off on a dangerous adventure. Cambodia’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards in 2025. Edited from S21: The Killing Machine of the Khmer Rouge (2003). Le Temps des cerisesLyrics by Jean Baptiste Clément and music by Antoine RenardPerformed by Tino Rossi. With subtlety and poetry, the director gradually reveals the ideological mechanisms that led people to commit genocide. The use of archival footage and wooden figurines, combined with the acting, brings modesty and restraint to the subject of great violence. At the beginning of the film, the characters feel uneasy and try to calm down, but as reality unfolds, the tension constantly increases. Each of the three characters develops in a different way and reacts in a unique way to what they witness. In a time when social media is flooded with superficial and sensational depictions of genocide, it is refreshing to see a film that offers a sober and realistic approach. A film not to be missed!