Heartbreaking Netflix movie directed by Angelina Jolie is a must-watch | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV | EUROtoday

A compelling movie directed by Hollywood star Angelina Jolie deserves a spot in your Netflix viewing checklist.

First They Killed My Father, launched in 2017, is an adaptation of Loung Ung’s autobiographical e book of the identical identify. The screenplay was co-written by Loung and Angelina.

The narrative unfolds in 1975, chronicling the harrowing experiences of five-year-old Loung, who’s conscripted as a toddler soldier whereas her siblings are dispatched to labour camps below the oppressive Khmer Rouge regime that held sway over Cambodia from 1975 to 1979.

The Cast of First they Killed My Father Includes Sreymoch Sareum, Kompheak Phoeung, Sveng Socheta, 20, 2013, 2013-12-16 10:00:00 AM – 2013-12-16 10:00:0

The movie predominantly options Cambodian actors and is basically delivered within the Khmer language.

Upon its launch in September 2017, the movie garnered constructive critiques and was nominated for a number of prestigious awards, together with a BAFTA and a Golden Globe, stories Mirror US.

The Guardian bestowed 4 stars upon the film, praising Jolie for crafting an “created an accomplished piece of work” imbued with “genuine artistry.”

The BBC lauded First They Killed My Father as “vividly real” and “shaped with a sure artistic hand”.

On the assessment aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the movie boasts an approval ranking of 88 p.c, with a median rating of seven.8 out of 10.

The 2017 Netflix sensation is summarised as follows: “In the 1970s, a middle-class Cambodian girl sees her family’s lives turning upside-down when the Khmer Rouge invades Cambodia. They leave their comfortable apartment and lifestyle to live in a primitive work camp. When her father, a former officer, is killed, the family splits to survive.”

This movie marked Angelina’s fourth stint as a director. She first ventured into directing with 2011’s In the Land of Blood and Honey, adopted by the 2014 success Unbroken, after which By the Sea in 2015.

After the discharge of First They Killed My Father in 2017, Angelina continued her directorial journey with Without Blood, which hit screens in 2024.

Reflecting on her expertise as a director after the discharge of First They Killed My Father, Angelina shared with Screen Daily: “When you direct a film it is very different from when you act in a film, when you try to give your all and it’s a few months of your life and you have your part to play. When you direct a film, it’s years of your life, and it has to really matter to you because it’s all-consuming.”

First They Killed My Father is accessible to stream on Netflix