The Killing Fields

               My mother told me about The Killing Fields quite awhile ago.  It may have been because she knows I like Sam Waterston, or it may have been because of the subject matter.  I don’t remember which.  Either way, my mother said this was a good film, so I put it on my movie list.  There it sat, slowly moving up, until I decided to take some of the films off my list and get them from the library.  That way I could watch more of them faster as I waited for the different sources to bring the requested film in.  This system has worked pretty well for me, and it’s how I finally watched The Killing Fields.

                Sydney Schanberg (Sam Waterston) is a journalist in Cambodia during their Civil War.  He has gone over to cover the actions that are happening between the Cambodian army and the Khmer Rouge.  To help him with his work is interpreter, and journalist himself, Dith Pran (Haing S. Ngor).  Immediately upon his arrival, Sydney must face the fact that the United States may have bombed Cambodia.  When he speaks to the military they say it was an accident, but Sydney has his doubts.

                While investigating the bombing site, Sydney and Pran are arrested.  They do manage to get away, but every moment they spend free is a battle for their lives.  At any moment anyone can be captured and killed.  With the help of Sydney, Pran is able to get his family to safety, but he decides to stay and help Sydney with his work.  This is a decision that will forever alter Pran’s life.                       

                Somehow Sydney, Pran, and their other journalist friends are able to find safety at the French embassy.  For Pran this safety only lasts for so long.  The French embassy declares that they will no longer be able to protect any Cambodians within their walls.  They must all be put back out onto the streets. 

Devastated by this news, Sydney and his friends do whatever they can to have Pran be able to stay.  Sadly, all their plans fail.  They are forced to watch as Pran is released from the embassy, to what is most likely a certain death.

                Once they are back in the United States, Sydney and his friends return to life as usual.  Everyone is upset over what they suspect happened to Pran, and they hold Sydney responsible.  Despite not being there for the conversation as to whether or not Pran would stay in Cambodia or go with his family, Sydney’s friends believe that Sydney forced Pran to stay.  In their eyes, Pran’s death is Sydney’s fault. 

                The funny thing about this is that while the others are blaming Sydney, Sydney is doing whatever he can to find out if Pran is still alive.  Contacting every agency he can think of, and visiting Pran’s family to make sure they are okay, Sydney is always working to find any sign of Pran.  Yes, some of this investigation may have stemmed from guilt, but it was far more than any of the others were doing.        

                While Sydney is looking for Pran from the U.S., Pran works in a Cambodian forced labor camp run by the Khmer Rouge.  Eventually Pran is able to escape, but with so many miles and rough terrain to safety, it is still a long, dangerous path to freedom.  As Pran makes his journey, and others die around him, one has to wonder if Pran will ever make it out of Cambodia alive.

                When watching this film, I highly suggest you do not do something else at the same time.  I did and I found myself confused at parts.  One part in particular was how Pran went from forced physical labor to taking care of someone’s young son.  Somehow, with my concentration on something else, and the lack of subtitles, I missed how Pran went from one place to the other.  There were many other times where this confusion happened as well, even in parts where the actors were speaking English and subtitles weren’t necessary.  With so much happening on the screen, events were sometimes hard to keep track of.  Despite this, I still think this is a good film and an important one to see.  It serves as a warning that very quickly, and with little effort, an entire country can be destroyed. 

               If watching the attacks and brutality that happened in Cambodia is too much for you, I understand. However, I still think you should get this film for one specific scene that I believe everyone should watch. That scene is when Sydney wins a prize for his work. In his speech, Sydney states that when the U.S. decided to bomb Cambodia, the people and how it would affect them were the last thing on anyone’s mind. Despite the time that has passed from when this film was set, Sydney’s words are still relevant today. Every day we see policies and decisions made where the ones who will be affected the most are considered last, if at all. Instead, those in power serve their own self-interests while forgetting their oaths to represent and protect the rights of those who voted them in and of the world. The Killing Fields is set in the 1970s. Apparently, in many ways, we have not moved beyond that time after all.