When Dystopia Becomes Reality: What First They Killed My Father Teaches Us About War Today

Dystopias are often considered distant futures, authoritarian regimes or fictional worlds where human rights don’t exist. In the movie, directed by Angelina Jolie, First They Killed My Father, we have a perfect picture of what was the past of a family in Cambodia, and the present of the family's dystopic reality in some parts of the world.

The movie shows Loung Ung's large family, in a time where Cambodia had the rise of Khmer Rouge in the 70’s, and the little girl has her entire childhood ruined. The public sees through her eyes the unfortunate daily life of a society forced to move from the cities and the lives they knew behind, relocating to the countryside, to work and be exploited from the early years of their lives. This does not focus on military strategy or ideologies but reveals  what happens to people who live through a war zone and how they are affected (Dargis, 2017).

The story reminds the public that dystopia is not fiction, and can emerge from extremist ideologies, political struggles and armed conflict, turning ordinary people into collateral damage. Similar patterns can still be seen in contemporary conflicts, where children and civilians still bear the consequences of political decisions (United Nations, 2025).

To better understand the film, we have to take a look at the historical context. Cambodia was an old colony from France who gained their independence in 1953. During the 50’s and 60’s the country was considered stable in comparison with the neighbouring countries. Most Cambodians lived an ordinary life with agriculture to sustain themselves and their lives were centered in family, religion and education.

During the Cold War, Cambodia tried to remain neutral during the big influences of the United States, China and the Soviet Union. China played a significant role in Southeast Asia by supporting several communist movements. Nevertheless, the country got caught between regional and international interests. Thus, South Asia became an important territory with a strategic area being disputed by both sides of the war. The Vietnam war increased the involvement of local conflicts because of the fear about the spreading of communism.

The suffering shown was not the result of a natural disaster or inevitable tragedy, as it emerged from political decisions, power struggles, and ideological extremism (Chandler, 2008; Kiernan, 2008). North Vietnam forces used Cambodia for military operations that caused the US to start bombing the region, the population started to be trapped between different ideologies, armies and international interests (Millar, 2026).

Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, presented itself as a movement capable of rebuilding Cambodia and creating stability. However, when it got enough power in 1975, he attempted to abolish normal society structures and social traditions creating a “new” dystopian society based on forced labour. Everyone who was seen as educated, wealthy or politically suspicious became a target: teachers, doctors, lawyers, professors, anyone who spoke a foreign language or who wore glasses, this regime believed that to create a pure society was necessary violence (Kiernan, 2008).

This leader also forced massive evacuations from cities, with the promise that families would return shortly, making everyone without an exception walk kilometres under harsh conditions. This event was the beginning of the transformation of the society into what the radical movement wanted: there were a lot of families separated, children and adults were frequently sent to different camps (Chandler, 2008). It was planned to weaken personal ties and create more loyalty to the state. Many citizens lost their homes and rights, as well as their sense of stability and security.

Most of the population was sent to agricultural labour camps where they were forced to work long hours, with negligible medical care and food. These extreme conditions led to a mass exhaustion, starvation and diseases (Kiernan, 2008). The regime’s control was so extensive that people didn't know who they could trust. They had the constant fear of being reported if any different behavior was happening, that only enriched the power of the regime. They also didn't have a say in where they lived, worked or travelled. Private life became a utopian dream, state directives became their personal choices, and most lost their intrusive selfish thoughts with fear of verbalizing them. 

Only collective ideology was encouraged leaving some words such as individual, personal ambitions, professions and social status without a meaning. Freedom of speech, political opposition, religious practices and disagreement was all disappearing, leaving the fear and violence ruling their life everyday (Chandler, 2008). 

In the movie, the viewer sees everything through a child’s eyes, so everything becomes more emotional because a child neither understands politics nor concepts such as communism, revolution or geopolitics  (Bradshaw, 2017). Loung is too young to understand the fighting and the dramatic changes in society. One day she’s attending school, with food and a familiar routine and the next she is forced to leave everything behind and work in the fields under constant fear and control.  (Ung, 2006; BBC Culture, 2017). 

This perspective reminds the viewers how children rarely understand the cause of war or politics, only the effects of it (BBC Culture, 2017). Cambodians were shaped by trauma, after the war which affected them for decades, survivors struggled with mental health and post-traumatic problems (Feminism in India, 2020). 

Wars create social instability and, when they end, they leave society without institutions for people to depend on. The consequences of war are longer than it , and they stay long after peace agreements are signed. In today's world, we still see how children suffer because of war. Millions are forced to leave their homes due to armed forces, stop their education and leave dreams with only the wish to survive.

We, as distant observers of those conflicts, still live to see refugee crises, where families prefer to undertake dangerous journeys to escape their reality of poverty and insecurity. Forced migration is only a survival strategy rather than a choice. People leave their homes, and families in desperation of safety in mind. These create the long term consequences that history taught us a long time ago: schools become closed or destroyed, healthcare becomes inaccessible, and society loses their services for their development, and it will take decades to rebuild them.

In conclusion, the film shows how past and present times are similar to each other, dystopia is not necessarily a futuristic concept, its history and reality. Loung Ung’s story humanises what numbers can’t, what political extremism causes and how it affects ordinary people rather than political leaders. Most importantly, how children are often the first victims of society failure. The parallels with modern conflicts makes people reflect how the Cambodia example was not an exception and the lesson has not been fully learned.

By Mafalda de Brito

References

BBC Culture. (2017, September 12). Film review: First they killed my father. https://www.bbc.co.uk/culture/article/20170912-film-review-first-they-killed-my-father

Bradshaw, P. (2017, September 12). First they killed my father review: Angelina Jolie's triumph spotlights casualties of war. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/sep/12/first-they-killed-my-father-review-angelina-jolies-triumph-spotlights-casualties-of-war

Chandler, D. P. (2008). A history of Cambodia (4th ed.). Westview Press.

Dargis, M. (2017, September 13). Review: First they killed my father. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/13/movies/first-they-killed-my-father-review-angelina-jolie.html

Kiernan, B. (2008). The Pol Pot regime: Race, power, and genocide in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, 1975-79 (3rd ed.). Yale University Press.

Millar, B. (n.d.). Cambodia in the Vietnam War: A detailed summary. History Crunch. https://historycrunch.com/cambodia-in-the-vietnam-war/

Molina, K. (2017, September 18). Jolie's First They Killed My Father was a disappointment. Here's why. Medium. https://medium.com/@kaytmolina/jolies-first-they-killed-my-father-was-a-disappointment-here-s-why-666be0f5ee3f

Sharma, A. (2020, February 4). Film review: First they killed my father and the ugly side of war. Feminism in India. https://feminisminindia.com/2020/02/04/film-review-first-they-killed-my-father-ugly-side-war/

Ung, L. (2006). First they killed my father: A daughter of Cambodia remembers. Harper Perennial.