Meeting with Pol Pot

Rithy Panh’s film is hard-hitting yet illusive, much like the story its characters are hunting.

A chilling historical drama rendered with impeccable sleight of hand, Rithy Panh’s “Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot” (“Meeting With Pol Pot“) reveals its political dimensions through layers of obfuscation.

There are no easy answers. Not to why terrible things happen. Not for what is the correct form of government. But once again, there are lines.

Rithy Panh combines archival footage, rare projections, and dioramas with clay figures, along with scenes with actors to tell the story of what happens when an ideology overtakes its intent. It's a sobering, clear eyed film.

The first 30 minutes of Rithy Panh’s otherwise compelling film, Meeting With Pol Pot, is rather dull but it builds in intensity, with the keen use of actual footage shot in 1978.

This political thriller acquires a mysterious, disturbing, and almost dreamlike tone that nonetheless remains palpable. [Spanish]

A period drama infused with strong thriller undertones. Beyond depicting the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge ... the film conveys a timely message about the crucial role of journalism.

A full-fledged fiction, which is not exceptional in the case of Panh. [Full review in Spanish]

More than anything this is an appreciation of those people who went as close to the killing fields as they could, and a reminder that this kind of professional bravery remains an important and valuable skill to tell the truth and shame the devil.

A powerful and disturbing film that disregards nuance and embraces an open and forceful condemnation. [Full review in Spanish]