SONS OF APRIL | Omeleto
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 พ.ค. 2019
- A Cambodian man faces a heartbreaking choice for survival under the Khmer Rouge regime.
SONS OF APRIL is used with permission from Robin Veret. Learn more at robinveret.com.
It is April of 1975 and the Khmer Rouge has taken over Cambodia. The regime's leader, Pol Pot, establishes the ideology and regime of Angka, which separates families into forced labor camps, where they are worked to death, face starvation or are tortured and executed.
In the midst of turbulent political winds, one doctor, along with his apprentice, keeps on helping the sick and poor in his village, healing them with tinctures and other homemade medicines despite the crippling poverty, starvation and danger they face.
But then he is faced with curing the wife of one of the government soldiers, who knows what camp the doctor's family is imprisoned at -- and who also killed the families of many people in the village. His apprentice doesn't want to help the dying woman, seeing her as the enemy, but the doctor is desperate to survive and find out where the rest of his family is. As they argue, the wife overhears their conversation, eventually calling them traitors and leading to a calamitous chain of events.
Writer-director Robin Veret, along with producer Florence Chea, has painstakingly crafted a political drama that captures a horrific chapter of world history through the eyes of its victims. Like feature films THE KILLING FIELDS and FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER, it offers a window into how the Khmer Rouge committed genocide against its own population, killing an estimated 1.6 to 1.8 million people in the four years it was in power.
With stunning photography and quiet, observant direction, the film is a deceptively simple story, based on the true account of a doctor, with details changed to protect anonymity. But though its narrative scope is confined to one turning point in one man's life -- and though it remains at an understated emotional register, refusing to fall into melodrama -- the story resonates with the force of history and truth, becoming emblematic of how the Khmer Rouge devastated the country, both politically, economically and emotionally.
Much of the film's power is drawn from its sense of authenticity, both in fact and feeling. Shot in the suburbs of Phnom Penh with an excellent cast of Cambodian actors, the film eschews a documentary-like immediacy. Its more meditative pacing and carefully composed images instead evoke both the weight of the past, as well as lead effectively into slow horror as the doctor -- a compassionate healer by profession and temperament -- faces his final, terrible choice.
SONS OF APRIL is a powerful political portrait in the form of a poetic, devastating short drama, which leverages the power of cinematic storytelling to create an almost unthinkable experience for the audience. So often when we read or learn about genocide -- especially when the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge from 1975 or 1979 came to light -- and we often wonder how such horror and dehumanization could happen. The power of this short drama is to show that it happened one incident after another, which add up to a crushing tragedy -- and growing piles of innocent bodies in mass graves. - ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
Thanks for sharing about Cambodian History
My friend is Cambodian and his family escaped Cambodia, not everyone survived (he was not born yet). His Uncle wrote a book on his experience called Golden Leaf (what survivors are called). If you can, please find the book and buy it and read it. So well worth it as it is beautifully written as it touches your heart.
Star Oscar my grandma survived the khmer rouge and the cambodians killed her sister
@SH MUZIK I've heard that a lot too and I am sure my friend's family did the same. So sad what happened. The movie The Killing Field is the best movie to show the horror of Khmer Rouge.
@@tgfytrippy1148 I really am so sorry what your grandma went through and the loss of her sister. What they endured is something so horrible and truly sad.
@SH MUZIK Absolutely, you and your grandma are right. Movies will never be able to show the true horror what they endured. I hope maybe one day you will be able to read my friends Uncle's book. Is your grandma a survivor of the Khmer Rouge too?
@SH MUZIK She is truly brave and I am glad she was not sexual abused.. She is a survivor and was able to start a new life and family and share her story to them, to you. Hugs and Love to her.
The intelligence in the making of this brilliant film is evident in every frame. To portray cruelty and betrayal in such raw detail must be hugely difficult. Kudos to the creators. And thanks for sharing.
Don't forget the stupidity of the peasants ruling the country
@@HVAC356 At that point, the Khmer Rouge could hardly be considered peasants. Not even the cadres. They were enforcers of a highly organized totalitarian regime in much the same way North Korean soldiers are today. They never engaged in much physical labor, they rarely starved, and they were treated relatively well.
The true peasants were their subjects, basically the rest of the population.
Kompheak Phoeung, the actor who played as the doctor is the actor who also played as the Father in the movie "First, They Killed my Father"
This is painful to watch, such an amazing piece.
The betrayal broke my heart! Especially after calling him his son 😢 i guess that's what great short films do, make you feel such strong emotions in such a short amount of time
And give us reason to think about what we'd do in that situation. How far would I go to save my own skin? Sitting here in safety it's easy to think I'd be brave, but if I was on my knees... hands bound...
Well. I'm not smart enough to think ahead the way that guy did, so I'd probably be the one who was betrayed.
@kalki2007 your wrong, he was brave and honest and stuck to righteous beliefs, that woman killed his family, that old coward was typical of the backstabbing Khmer Rouge couldn't trust anyone they would all stab you in the back, not worthy of breathing air, the young man was brave and that's a rare thing in this world to stick to your guns and not be a traitor or a coward and to do the right thing even if it means your own death.
Human civilization is much more fragile than we think. Tyranny will bring out the dormant beast in all of us. How unfortunate. Will we survive what we are doing to ourselves today? This film is very well made with great performances and universal themes. We cannot escape what we are. So sad.
I am Cambodian and I say They speak Khmer Perfectly and Fluently
Probably because they are.
@@responsibledriving1882 yeah
The kid had every right to be mad, but it would have been wiser if he kept his mouth shut. He put everyone at risk doing that leaving his teacher no choice but to kill her. I know this isn't what the film is trying to portray and it's intent is to bring awareness of the atrocities that happened. But if I were in that doctors position, I would have lied and said that she died before they can save her. Whether or not they believed it, either way they were probably dead anyways. But at least the tyrants would never have the satisfaction of getting the official truth, and it'll torment them the rest of their lives.
What the doctor did was very brave. He did not betray the young man, he gave him freedom from more torture that would come his way.
So by saving his own skin to sacrifice the young man!!
This heart-breaking film is very well-made and shows the tragedy, human cost, and danger of violent ideological extremism .
May Cambodians live long lives in peace, love, and national independence
I'm a Vietnamese. And I'm proud of what my country did in Cambodia. Chinese sent arms to Pol Pot. US sent uniforms, dollars and intels for Pol Pot. British sent SAS to Thailand to train Pol Pot 's soldier. And what did Vietnam send to Pol Pot? destruction and death of a brutal regime, which was supported by some of the most terrible gorvernments in the world. But anyone thanks for that? No. Omg, what a world, when some countries that supported a tyrant, spend all day to talk about "freedom and democracy", and some other countries, which sacrificed twenty thousands soldiers ( and thousands of civilians that killed by Pot in the border) to save their neighbor, has nothing. Completely, nothing.
You forget to say CIA since they are the one that gets blame for every God damn thing happens in this world.... judging by your name and pfp,I think you should know the history of the man in your name and pfp because the man in your pfp committed many horrible things than pol pot....and since when British SAS trained Khmer rouge soldiers?
Glory to S.R. Vietnam, glory to Ho Chi Minh🇻🇳
Ironic isn’t it, you fought for freedom. Vietnam all you wanted was to be free against the rude and cruel nation of France and the United States of America chose politics rather than the true meaning of Freedom and Democracy. I thank the Vietnamese for helping Cambodia in the darkest of times.❤️🇻🇳🤝🇰🇭❤️
My mother’s house was hit with a dud Cambodian artillery piece during that war. It’s amazing how many people don’t know that Vietnam fought 2 wars within 5 years of the Vietnam War ending.
@@CKC_Productions You've been heavily brainwashed for years.
I shall consider this as a deleted scene from "First They Killed My Father"
Right time, right situation, and we are all monsters.
I think he had two choices. They both die, or he tries to survive and helps his family and others too hopefully..
He made the right choice, however painfull it was.
Who's here before 1 Million Views!
Games Downloader I’m here before 10K
I am
Lol never going to happen. TH-cam algorithm is really hating on omleto.
Everyone
Me
Was the man in the very first seen the dad from first they killed my father
yeah, Phoeung Kompheak. such an amazing actor
great work. amazing how accurate and authentic this is.
That dude in 1:45 also plays in Netflix Original: First They Killed My Father
Yes he did. He has done many movie regarding khmer rouge already
This Deserve More View!!!!
Thank you, Omeleto.
Thank you very much for video.
My grandparents survive these
Mine also
My whole family survived
Thanks omeleto!!! For sharing Khmer history !
If this ever gets popular, i can flex about being one of the firsts to comment on this.
It wont tho
Hey atleast he got 28 likes
31
I used to have the bird pfp, but people stopped saying eat your cereal
The Khmer Rouge surely had maximized the use of nylon bags.
Teach me I pray, How am i to get this cinematic colour. 🤔👃
Wasnt one of those guys in a movie called first they killed my father
Betraying someone is something I'll never do. Even if I'll be hated by everyone. That's just something i can never be done.
Never know until you’re tested.
Many of my older relatives passed away in this regime.
How can you call him your son and than set him up for death like this? Wow...
thank you so much Omeleto
Chills down spine
Here before a million views.
That was so f'd up. I don't know what else to say. What a terrible betrayal.
I think one or two of the cast are from the movie “ first they killed my father “
That guy was loung ung’s dad in first they killed my father!
Yeah it is
This must be where the khmer rouge took loung ung’s father to
Oh wow, just awesome 👏🏿 I
I'm. Just. Devastated. But I'm sure it's nothing compared to what happened.
I like how the color red was really present
my country..💕
Betrayal....but in truth it was I who was betrayed!!
Here before 10 k views
What is the name of this movies?
Bravo ! Omeleto
literally, when the chips are down...
I am feeling sad with that situation 😞
May I know where was this place?
Woooww! Such betrayal will run you mad in the future
Before a 1000 views!
I hope he never saw his family. Wicked person.
Hey look he doesn’t have a choice ok? What do you expected he has to survive
this is what republicans seem to thing anyone who is mildly left seems to want
Before 10k views
Vietnam will save the day
Vietnam just made that country under another communist regime.
@@VeryProPlayerYesSir1122 but they helped so hello?
And one of the khmer rouge leaders announced that they will not team up with Vietnam
Which the khmer rouge launched attacks at the border in Vietnam
thank you your products short movie say history my country cambodia
" First They Killed My Father " this movie told me everything about cambodian history.
What's movie is this pls ?
This is so sad
the young man should have kept his mouth shut for survival
Yeah
Isn't one of them appear in the Netflix movie First they killed my father
Are u kidding me I'm 6.3k place to watch this
Ok
You should make a film about the Hmong fighting the pathet lao
This communism thing doesn't appear to be nearly as amazing as my professors think it is.
That wasn't communism.
liquidsonly it’s a form of communism. Communism as an ideology is an utopia, which ends up with slaughtering and purging thousands of innocent people. Change your mind about it
@@liquidsonly This is communism. The commune treads on the individual liberties.
@@user-ri2io3jw2h Because there were too many reaction. Sadly, the ruling communist regime can't do better at handling these reactionaries.
@@user-ri2io3jw2h capitalism does the same with rich poor division have and have nots
Just sad
Sad
Wow i’m early
You should never have to squint to read subtitles
Should have gone to Specsavers 👓 🤣
Might need glasses if you cant read that :/
Omg i am cambodai/khmer
isnt this the same man from first They Killed My Father
I think
Yes !! I remember that movie
Yes it is
Wow, quite evil.
this the same man from first They Killed My Father
Communism is evil.
That's how it was, you couldn't trust anyone they all would stab you in the back to survive and most of the time would still be killed eventually, traitors and cowards is all Khmer Rouge was, killers, thieves, liers, rapist, child killers, only worthy of death, no place in this world.
Wow
Anyone tell me serious question why Khmer Rough alwayw said ANGKAR?
What is ANGKAR mean to them?
Its the government’s name for the Khmer Rouge
The communist party of Kampuchea (Cambodia)
It means "organization" referring to the Communist Party
Angka is the name of Cambodia at this time.
Is this the same cast from first they killed my father?
Only one not the rest
The doctor looks like the dad from they killed my father first
Yes it is
hi
I to to film ;)
Xខ្ញុំស្អប់សង្គមបុ"លពតកាដឺកនាំល្អីល្អឺ
This commentary is not even translated correctly! I’m Cambodian so I know this! 🤦♀️
10,048th viewer! The doctor could have lied to his teeth and no one would really know.
So nobody wanted to kill pol pot?
He died bruh
Am the 31th Number to comment.
monster
The monster is communism.
the new
Oof
Communism 101
Eeeee
Japanese Imperialism prevented things like this ya know?
And did horrible crimes
Yah this one is sad
Japanese imperialism led to the rise of the Viet Minh and consequently the destabilization of Cambodia during the Indochina wars
Japan Crimes = Khmer Rouge