Come on, keep moving!
Faster!
Let's go!
Speed up!
Hurry!
You there, move!
Leave that, You won't need it,
Sovanh!
It's your turn Tuch!
I'm starving!
Can you go turn the radio off?
Come on, off you go,
Here we go,
breakfast is ready,
Sovanh, come eat,
In South-East Asia,
the Khmer Rouge have taken Phnom Penh,
All foreign citizens should go to their embassies,
For now, the locals' situation is uncertain,
APRIL 17TH 1975,
THE CAMBODIAN CAPITAL PHNOM-PENH HAS BEEN SEIZED BY ANGKAR,
THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE KHMER ROUGE,
THE CITY IS EVACUATED BY FORCE,
MORE THAN 1,5 MILLION PEOPLE FIND THEMSELVES ON THE ROAD,
MARCHING TOWARDS AN UNCERTAIN FATE,
No, Hout, you're a real glutton!
Go, give me a little!
Look at Lily, She'd chew his fruit for him!
Enjoy it, Chou,
They grow up fast,
Oil, some rice
and two bottles of water,
We won't last another week,
We'll ration it more,
Maybe we can go back soon,
Where did I put them? - I don't know mum
Meng, it's a bad idea,
Comrades,,,
We're all exhausted,
You said three days,
We've been walking a week,
When can we go back to Phnom Penh?
We have a very young child,
We have less and less food, water too,
Are bombings still likely?
Where are you taking us?
Silence!
Obey! Angkar knows best for you,
Accept it!
Comrade!
My brother is sorry!
Angkar abhors anti-revolutionary attitudes!
Forgive him,
He doesn't realize,
We need him, Please,
Please, take it,
Eat,Tuch,
What'll happen to us?
Where will we go?
Phnom Penh is sealed off,
We heard terrible things about the communists,
They took a number of men yesterday,
They still haven't returned,
They're manipulating us,
The bombings were a hoax,
They'll never let us go back,
We must react,
What can we do?
With the patrols, we can't make a move,
So we wait till it gets worse?
They're all maniacs!
Enough, Meng!
Listen to your brother,
Koh Thom isn't far,
We could go to cousin Sok's,
We'd have a roof and food,
What's Sok like?
Farm work builds up a man,
He's too young for you, Mom,
I hardly know him,
We rarely met, But he'll help,
Khuon says he's generous,
Mom?
Mom, where are you?
What on earth,,,?
Mom, no!
It's not allowed!
It belongs to someone, What are you doing?
I’m treating us,
Come on!
Wake up!
The revolution is underway,
Go to the villages,
Angkar will take care of you,
Hurry up!
Join the Revolution!
The people will bring change,
Step forward!
Come on Sovanh, let's go
You!
Foreign imperialism is counter-revolutionary,
The car must be destroyed,
Minds must be cleansed
of foreign influence,
Comrade,,,
We have luggage, this car,,,
Nothing is yours!
It's the people's! Angkar's!
Property is capitalistic,
It corrupts the people and the Revolution!
Come on, Sovanh,
Chou!
Are you Ok?
Yes,
Don't worry,
Keep moving! Faster!
I won't cross,
Not this way,
But this river is mined! They can't force us,,,
Of course they can,
Their guns let them,
They won't allow us to turn back,
We have to cross,
This river is deadly, Khuon!
We have no choice!
We'll let the others go first,
Sovanh!
No turning back!
Obey orders!
Comrade, please,,,
Our son is lost,
Let us find him,
Keep moving!
Angkar will see to him,
He's only three, comrade!
I’ll come back,
Come back here!
Keep moving, I said!
Right away, comrade,
No, we must,,,
Sovanh,,,
Don't worry,Tuch,
I’m sure she's fine, You know Mum,
- She'll be with Sovanh,,, - Maybe,
An old woman and a little boy,,,
What can they do in this madness?
Chou!
Chou, are you Ok?
How could I be, Khuon?
We abandoned Sovanh! Why didn't you insist?
Why didn't you fetch him? Why?
We must keep moving,
Chou, we have to go!
We won't make it otherwise,
I’m sure she found him,
She's as stubborn as a mule,
She'll protect him,
They'll be waiting in Koh Thom, At Sok's,
Safe and sound,
Good,,,
Hide what we have left, Hurry!
Hide it here Hout,
Joining the revolution?
Sok?
We need men to bring about change,
Good choice,
I was one of the first to join,
Things will change,
Angkar will purify our land,
The Revolution brings justice and equality,
It rids us of the traitors ruining our nation,
Foreign imperialism has soiled us for too long,
Let us return to the purity of former times,
The Khmers will arise once more
and recover their old majesty,
Have you seen Sovanh?
Our son,
He's with Grandmother,
We were parted,
And they won't let us look for them,
They've been sent south,
They need workers down there,
He'll serve the Revolution,
Like you,
You'll be in my cooperative, Lucky, aren't you?
And your boy isn't far away,
You'll see him in a month or two,
People move around,
He'll become a good little revolutionary,
We're a bit cramped,
You're lucky to get an empty hut, We're building more,
but we have to squeeze up for now,
Get rid of your old, imperialist clothes,
We're all the same now,
We all serve Angkar!
The cadres will explain tomorrow
about work in the cooperative,
Be on time!
Self-criticism is vital for change,
You'll see the benefits of the Revolution,
I’ll bring him back,
I promise,
Comrades! Over there!
Angkar is glad to welcome you,
Cooperatives like this cover the country,
Angkar, the Communist Party, has united the Khmer people,
It will treat you new people well! It will lift the imperialist yoke,
Our energies shall unite
to lead us to independence and victory,
You, the new people, have been soiled by capitalism,
Our American enemy perverted you,
But Angkar is good, It forgives,
It will purify you,
The "old people" will guide you,
Follow their example,
We have a lot to rebuild,
We must work together to recover our past glory,
Long live Angkar!
But among you, the new people,
traitors are hiding,
We shall destroy them!
Angkar sees all,
Angkar hears all,
Long live Angkar!
Please, Sok, find him,
He only went to fetch Sovanh,
I told you to wait,
I’ll see to it, Chou,
You have to get to work, And obey,
Khuon should have too,
MAY 1975
What's this? It's disgusting!
Leeches can't drink all your blood,
Get to work,
Don't hesitate, just do it,
Plant and push,
In one go,
Good, Push harder, Use your thumb,
Chan, forget the new ones!
We're thirsty here!
Those idlers don't deserve to drink,
Look how they work,
New ones just eat,
Eat and show off,
Chou, wait!
Did you see him?
No,
I couldn't cross the river,
Tuch, are you okay?
It's nothing, don't worry,
Idler!
Faster!
You've been napping three days!
He's not worth half a man,
Remember Dara?
That traitor devoured by greed
and ambition?
He was the old governor,
He confessed and was sentenced,
The Party is eradicating corruption,
Self-criticism is vital,
It was hard for me too at first,
But be strong,
Accept punishment if it's deserved,
Pain will cleanse the imperialism devouring us,
Soon,
a new society will be born,
It will be fair and egalitarian,
Egalitarian?
But our sacrifices differ,
What do your comrades eat?
Many soldiers have worked the land for years,
They've earned that food,
Harvests will increase,
Angkar rewards hard work,
You'll earn the right to eat well,
And when will I see Sovanh?
He's a day's walk away,
You'll get permission to visit soon,
But it depends on you,
Like I said,
Angkar rewards those who work,
Look at Chan,
Playing on her charms,,,
Working fast isn't enough, Dig deeper,
Start again,
I did my best,
It'll help,
With the patrols, you were wise to come back,
We can't go on, Khuon,
About the store,,,
Between patrols,,,
It's far too dangerous, Meng,
We'd put our family at risk,
We're starving!
Look at Tuch, He needs to eat,
- I know that, - So let's try,
Their rice rations won't keep us alive,
Enough!
You won't endanger us,
You must save your strength, Hout!
They don't care how hard you work,
They'll just let us die,
15 workers? I can't spare them,
Ask at the brickworks,
What?
Comrade Chief,,,
My 3 year old son's in a nearby camp,
It's months since I saw him, Can I visit?
It's a day away,,,
Get back to work, The plot isn't finished,
And when it is?
I work hard, comrade,
I volunteered for nights and I'll work more,,,
Don't be selfish, Angkar looks after your son,
Be grateful,
Tomorrow, we'll clear land to the north,
Stop whining,
But my son,,,
What's up, Lim? Are you lost?
Do you think he's well?
I’m sure he is,
Children are better treated,
They can't say "Dad" or "Mum" now,
We must get him back,
I think of that every day,
We can't talk to them,
You know what happens if we disobey,
What if we asked Sok?
I don't trust him,
He's brainwashed,
So what do we do? Nothing? As usual?
Off you go,
Tuch!
He won't last without medicine,
He'll be sent to the infirmary,
People die there,
There are no doctors,
No medicine,
So what do I do?
There are ways if you can pay,
Do you have any stuff left?
Don't tell anyone,
I’ll need to cover my personal risks,
Give me a few days,
Watch over my son for me,
How is he?
Not good, He's growing weaker,
I’ll try to get you more food,
What about Sovanh? Could you,,,
We're making good headway, You work hard,
I’ll get you leave,
Stop idling, comrade!
You undermine the Revolution!
Shame on you!
Malingerer!
You've injured your leg too!
You'll slow the others down!
You're no use here!
Go to the infirmary!
Sovanh's camp is south of here,
Go!
A little boy aged three,
This tall, called Sovanh,
He was with his grandmother, Nay,
He's been sent across the country, to the north,
How long can this go on, Khuon?
She left a week ago,
It's too late now,
I gave my word, Meng,
What can we do? Let him die of hunger?
I bet she won't keep her word,
Maybe she never planned to return,
given who she sleeps with,
- Enough! - What if she's right?
If Chan doesn't return and we end up with her kid,,,
What then?
He replaces Sovanh?
He's not our responsibility,
We can barely feed ourselves,
Maybe what you gave her could have saved Tuch,
This life is hell,
It breaks us one by one,
They take us away for nothing, Khuon,
We must flee Cambodia,
Impossible, Meng,
How can we escape? They're everywhere,
They've destroyed all communications,
Who knows what's happening?
So we stay here?
Until another of us dies?
We must react!
Will they let us cross Cambodia?
To go where?Thailand?
Got a map to get you there?
Money for a smuggler?
No, but,,, - And if we meet a patrol?
You know how fugitives end up!
What about Sovanh? Thought of him?
We abandon him here?
We have no choice, Meng,
We have to stay here, And survive,
That slut's back after all,
She'd sell her kid for rice,
That bitch makes me puke,
You reap what you sow, Chou, Come,
I couldn't get anything,
My contact was arrested,
But I got your jewels back, I just kept my share,
I know what you think of me,
What all you women think,
But I regret nothing,
You left him a whole week, Chan,
Anything could have happened,
Like when you sleep with the cadres,
We all do what we can,
- If my son was here,,, - You'd adapt,
He's a good child,
Take care of him for me,
Accompany him through this hell,
You'll get better, Chan,
You'll go to the infirmary and,,,
I won't abandon him,
I promise,
Khuon!
Khuon, wake up!
Meng,,,
Good luck, my brother,
What are you up to?
Trying to flee?
Traitor! Conspirator!
Sok!
Are you Ok?
We can't stay here,
Come on,
Sok, we're on guard duty now,
I’ll handle them, Go back to the camp,
Go!
You have a son to find,
Bora!
Wake up!
Sok, what happened?
Are you Ok? Were you attacked?
Which way did they go?
It was an accident,
I,,, I thought he was a thief,
This wasn't his post, I sent him to the store,
An accident?
You killed him!
Bastard, you killed my brother!
Take that!
Murderer!
Enough,Vichea! Let him go!
We'll question him at the camp,
No!
He killed Bora!
Let go of me!
No!
Hurry! Climb on board!
Squeeze up!
You're heading north,
Please, not my son,
He works, he obeys, He's a good revolutionary,
He's lucky, he'll join his Angkar siblings,
He'll embody the Party's spirit,
Comrade, please, he's all I have left,
Take younger ones who can't work,
Him, there!
He's with another group,
Please, no, he needs me!
Peuv, hold on!
Help!
Comrades, please!
Help my daughter! She's fallen!
She can't swim,
She'll drown,
We need a rope, Where can we find one?
You'd go down?
It's dark in there,
Can you hear me?
No reply,
No reply?
Peuv, can you hear me?
Peuv!
She must have fainted,,,
Peuv, hold on!
Fetch her, please,
- What are you doing? - Helping,
- She's a kid, - So?
Let them lose a child now,
My daughter!
She's down there!
You'll be all right,
Wait!
Let go of me!
That bitch took Lim!
You help them but let us die!
You did nothing for Sovanh or Lim,
All I got was a scrap of cloth!
But I want my son, you hear! My son!
You,,,You,,,
You two,,,
You,,,
And you,
You'll work further north, Gather near the trucks,
It'll be Ok, Lily,
It'll just be a few days,
Move! You're slowing us down,
Hout,,,
JANUARY 1977
Mum,,,
Are you Ok?
Let me see,
I hurt,,,
I’m tired, I’m starving,
When will all this end?
I can't go on!
He'll be five now, His name's Sovanh,
Does that ring a bell?
With his grandmother, Nay,
They were brought here months ago,
We're all looking for someone,
And we've all met a son or brother called Sovanh,
Peuv, hurry!
For Lily,
I bet one of the "old people" left it here,
- Seen how he looks at Lily? - No,
He's sweet on her,
She must be nice to him,
The guards like him, He has access to the food store,
Three months now,
Did they really leave to work?
Stop! I don't want to think of it,
They'll be back,
Don't eat it, Mom,
It's from the girl who took Lim and Khuon,
So?
I can't go on without them, without Sovanh,
Don't touch it!
We're too hungry!
Let her choke on her guilt!
All that matters is eating,
Let go! Let go, I said!
The men won't be back, We have to manage on our own,
Give me that, you madwoman!
You're the mad one,
You'd sell your daughter to live,
It's terrible,
But he can get us food,
He could help,
We can survive thanks to him,
We can barely stand,
We work day and night without food,
If you refuse his help, we'll die,
You've taken everything,
Our lives, our families,,,
Even our dignity,
You decide where we go,
If we live or die,
You can destroy us one by one,
But there's one thing I can decide alone,
Dying without your pity,
Lily!
Hout,,,
I don't know where he is,
They split us up weeks ago,
He was harvesting palm sugar,
I’ve had no news since,
No,,, Lily!
Still thinking about that girl?
Here, this stuff will buck you up,
Hey, what are you doing?
Open that door!
Open!
You'll find them,
Don't give up,
Who are you talking to, scum?
An accomplice?
Damn traitor!
Be you one or a thousand, Angkar will find you
and destroy you,
All of you!
You know this dog?
You work for the CIA or the KGB too?
No, comrade, I swear,
You're his accomplice,
Right?
Look at him,
Do you know him?
Liar!
- You too,,, - I don't know him!
Traitor!
- Hiding behind your age? - I’ve done nothing, I swear,
No, please! Mercy! I’m innocent!
See how Angkar treats enemies of the Revolution!
Mercy! I’ve done nothing!
AUGUST 1978
Chou,,,
I’m here,
Don't leave me, please,
I think I've found Sovanh,
There's a children's camp north of here,
I worked with a boy from it,
He didn't know Sovanh
but many children are sent there,
You can't give up, Chou,
Not now,
The Viets have surrounded us!
Gather the workers for evacuation!
Hurry!
Get on the truck! Hurry!
We have to leave,
If we can find Sovanh,
it's now,
Fight for our nation!
For each of our dead, ten of them will fall!
Quick! Over here! Fill this truck!
Hurry!
I checked, No one's here,
Go check on the other side,
Hurry!
At a good pace,
we'll leave the country in a few days,
Thailand is just over that hill,
Dangerous, but our best chance,
Can he take it?
We're together now,
It'll be fine,
Want me to carry it?
Don't let him get away!
He's a cadre!
He took my brother away!
Going somewhere?
Think you can get away?
Angkar can't help you,
Not so smart now,
Barbarian scum!
Why are you crying?
You know this dog? You do, huh?
You're one too,
She's one too, Look at those perverse eyes!
Kill her!
Go on, join him, bitch!
Pervert!
Snake! Die with him!
No!
I,,,
She's not one of them,
I know her,
She was in my sister's group, She's innocent!
Liar!
You're with them!
- Traitor! - I’m like you,
I’ve lost my family, my husband, my three-year-old son,
- She's lying! - No, I’m not!
We shared your ordeal,
We were mistreated, terrified and starved!
We were forced to work,
No! Kill them!
Look at me!
I’m like you, with the same scars from the same hell!
I died each time they took someone from me,
Our ways part here,
We have to split up for safety,
I must protect my family,
Thailand is over that hill,
I know,
But I’m not going,
My sister is in the south,
I hope I'll be as lucky as you,
Mum!
Look at me,
It'll be Ok,
Just over that hill,
we'll be safe,
I’ll go and see, Wait here,
You there!
Stay there! Freeze!
Stop!
1979
AFTER ALMOST 4 YEARS OF POWER,
THE KHMERS ROUGE RETREAT IN FRONT OF THE VIETNAMESE FORCES,
THEIR REGIME HAS MADE 1,7 TO 2 MILLION VICTIMS,
HALF A MILLION MORE ENDED UP IN EXILE,
TO MY MOTHER
AND TO MY BROTHER,
TO ALL THE EXILES,
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