"S21: The Khmer Rouge Death Machine" is a documentary in the strictest sense of the word. The film lets its subjects tell their stories in their own words, with as little embellishment as possible.
That may make the film something of a hard sell to audiences who expect a filmed history lesson, or for those who expect a particular stance.
While there are a few re-enactments, by and large "S21" is interview-heavy. And those with patience, or interest in the subject matter, will find it all the more horrifying as former Khmer Rouge soldiers attempt to explain their actions.
The film's title refers to Tuol Sleng, or Bureau S21, the notorious death camp in Phnom Penh, where thousands of Cambodians were tortured and killed by their own countrymen during the late 1970s. The prison has now been converted into a genocide museum, and filmmaker Rithy Panh uses that setting to conduct a series of interviews with some of the survivors (who have been deemed either "innocent" or "guilty" by history).
Vann Nath is an artist who survived by painting portraits of his captors, as well as of some the atrocities. Panh allows him to confront some of the camp's former guards.
One of the film's better moments is a segment in which S21 camp supervisor Him Houy is interrogated by his own parents, who really put him on the spot about the inhumanity of his actions.
By its nature, this French-Cambodian co-production is a no-frills film. And the unflinching treatment of some of the subject matter means it's not an easy one to watch. But it's quietly effective and serves as stark reminder of the horrors that can result from blind obedience.
"S21: The Khmer Rouge Death Machine" is not rated but would probably receive a PG-13 for close-ups of violent and disturbing images (paintings and photos), graphic descriptions of torture, and use of some crude slang terms. Running time: 100 minutes.
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