S21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine

2003 1h 41m FR

🙌

7.5

BANGER

🔥

94%

CERTIFIED FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★7.5TMDB · 35🍅94%Rotten Tomatoes●75Metacritic★7.2IMDB · 1,183

DocumentaryHistoryWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Documentary of the S-21 genocide prison in Phnom Penh with interviews of prisoners and guards. On the search for reasons why this could have happened.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Chum Mey
Himself (Survivor)
Khieu 'Poev' Ches
Himself (Guard)
Yeay Cheu
Herself - Him Houy's Mother
Nhiem Ein
Himself - Photographer
Houy Him
Himself - Security deputy
Ta Him
Himself - Him Houy's Father
Nhieb Ho
Himself - Guard
Prakk Kahn
Himself - the Torturer

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Rithy Panh
Writers: Rithy Panh, Rithy Panh, Rithy Panh
Languages: Khmer, Vietnamese
Countries: Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Switzerland

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 23 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Khmer, Vietnamese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 8 countries: Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Switzerland.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Rithy Panh, shot by Rithy Panh. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Marc Marder. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Isabelle Roudy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Chum Mey and Khieu 'Poev' Ches and Yeay Cheu carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0368954 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Rithy Panh directs. Rithy Panh behind the camera. Marc Marder scores. Isabelle Roudy cuts. Produced in Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Switzerland. Dialogue in Khmer, Vietnamese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 23 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Khmer, Vietnamese.
3International production across 8 countries: Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Switzerland.
4Directed by Rithy Panh, shot by Rithy Panh. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Marc Marder. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Isabelle Roudy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Chum Mey and Khieu 'Poev' Ches and Yeay Cheu carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0368954 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 35 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Released under 11 different titles around the world.