--- title: "First They Killed My Father: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/first-they-killed-my-father/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/first-they-killed-my-father" critics_score: 57 critics_reviews: 18 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # First They Killed My Father (2017): what the critics said Critics' score 57 from 18 reviews: 5 positive, 8 mixed, 5 negative. The reviews split almost evenly between admirers and doubters, with the largest group sitting somewhere in between. Where they agree is on the craft. Most single out Anthony Dod Mantle’s cinematography, the overhead shots and the Cambodian landscapes especially, and several praise Sareum Srey Moch as an expressive, watchable Loung. Several also credit the child’s-eye view with keeping the horrors intimate rather than lurid. The quarrel is over whether that view works. A sizeable group finds the film impeccably made but emotionally distant: Loung watches, so the audience watches too, and the result is more disturbing than moving. The Los Angeles Times, Vulture and The Ringer land here, The Ringer calling it impersonal and dull. At the other end, The Playlist and Consequence find it moving and humane, Consequence rating it Jolie’s most effective work as a director. The spread is wide, and few of the critics in the middle sound enthusiastic. ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Rating 4/5. 12 September 2017. Festival review. Bradshaw calls the film an accomplished, artistically assured work that confronts the horror of the Khmer Rouge era. He praises its eerily beautiful overhead cinematography and the way it evokes the psychological effects of terror. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/sep/12/first-they-killed-my-father-review-angelina-jolies-triumph-spotlights-casualties-of-war) ## The AV Club — Katie Rife Rating B. 14 September 2017. Rife finds the film an accomplished, overly long mood piece that works better as art than as a history lesson. She praises its quiet, child-centered perspective and impressionistic imagery for conveying the Khmer Rouge’s dehumanization. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/first-they-killed-my-father-depicts-genocide-through-a-1808419757) ## The Telegraph — Robbie Collin Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 14 September 2017. Collin finds the film vivid and lyrical, though ultimately more instructive than moving. He praises the striking images captured by cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/0/first-killed-father-review-angelina-jolies-passion-powers-vivid/) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page is blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. Its praise or criticism of any particular aspect is likewise unavailable. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/first-they-killed-my-father-2017) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 13 September 2017. The page was inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict cannot be verified. No specific praise or complaint can be reliably identified from the available text. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/13/movies/first-they-killed-my-father-review-angelina-jolie.html) ## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen Rating 2.5/4. 19 September 2017. Bowen finds the film uneven but ultimately stirring, praising Jolie’s increasingly physical, intimate depiction of a child’s survival. He criticizes the early sequences as impersonal and rote. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/first-they-killed-my-father/) ## Screen Daily — Allan Hunter Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2017. Festival review. The review describes the film as sincere but glum, suggesting a mixed yet mildly positive verdict. It singles out the film’s chronicle of the Khmer Rouge’s rise as sincere, while noting its gloomy tone. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/first-they-killed-my-father-toronto-review/5122312.article) ## Radio Times — Ellie Harrison Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 15 September 2017. The headline suggests a thoughtful portrait that does not fully achieve its force. The accessible text singles out its quiet study of war through a child’s eyes. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/first-they-killed-my-father-review-netflix/) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2017. Debruge finds the film earnest and cinematically impressive, but ultimately less compelling than its subject warrants. He praises its vivid Cambodian landscapes while criticizing its lack of context and underdeveloped characterization. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/first-they-killed-my-father-review-angelina-jolie-1202545717/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 14 September 2017. Turan finds the film impeccably made but ultimately more disturbing than moving, and says it fails to make the story emotionally compelling. He praises its meticulous historical recreation and the atmosphere of dread, while noting that Loung’s role as a watcher creates distance. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-first-they-killed-my-father-review-20170914-story.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Stephen Farber Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 2 September 2017. Festival review. The critic finds the film well-crafted but too repressed and repetitive to become a searing work of art. He praises the cinematography and haunting score, while faulting the limited perspective and lack of visceral impact. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/first-they-killed-my-father-review-1034849/) ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the drama earnest but superficial, with limited access to Loung’s perspective. They praise a late scene of children caught in crossfire for briefly and powerfully conveying the chaos of war. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/first-they-killed-my-father) ## Vulture — Emily Yoshida Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2017. Yoshida finds the film worthy in subject but artistically inert, wishing it had been told with more inventiveness. She praises Sareum Srey Moch as watchable, but criticizes the film’s emotionally blank portrayal of Loung’s childhood perspective. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2017/09/angelina-jolies-first-they-killed-my-father-is-inert-cinema.html) ## The Playlist — Gregory Ellwood Rating A-. 6 September 2017. Festival review. Ellwood gives the film emphatic praise, calling it a moving and masterfully crafted account of Cambodia’s darkest period. He especially praises Sreymoch Sareum’s expressive performance and Jolie’s visual storytelling. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/first-came-father-angelina-jolie-revisits-cambodias-darkest-hour-telluride-20170906/) ## Consequence — Blake Goble Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2017. Goble considers the film Jolie’s most effective directorial work yet, praising its humane, emotionally daring approach. He singles out the child-centered perspective and Anthony Dod Mantle’s vivid cinematography for making the horrors intimate without exploiting them. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2017/09/film-review-first-they-killed-my-father/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 12 January 2018. Kermode calls the film a devastating and important perspective on the Khmer Rouge genocide. She particularly praises Sareum Srey Moch’s expressive, believable performance as Loung. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/first-they-killed-my-father-2017-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 15 September 2017. The critic finds the film admirable but ultimately less affecting than it should be. They praise its striking visual imagery while faulting the direction for favoring spectacle over emotional impact. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/first-they-killed-my-father-review-angelina-jolie/) ## The Ringer — K. Austin Collins Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2017. The critic finds the film worthwhile for its subject but ultimately frustratingly impersonal and boring. He praises its respectful handling of an important story, while faulting its lack of individual character and inner life. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2017/09/18/movies/first-they-killed-my-father-film-review-angelina-jolie-netflix) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/first-they-killed-my-father.md