Last month, Netflix released First They Killed My Father , based on the experience of Loung Ung who is a childhood survivor of the Pol Pot regime during the Khmer Rouge years in Cam bodia . It is not only a compelling story of individual suffering and the personal toll of a horrific period in history but also a story with galvanizing relevance today. Director Angelina Jolie, who co-wrote the script with Loung, whose book provides the source material. The film peels away the layers of politics and history and gives a human face to the genocide of a quarter of Cambodia’s population. Jolie crafts the story so that we experience the horrors of war, hunger, violence and loss through the eyes of a child. This adds power to the rare moments that bring comfort: a smile, a kind voice, the gentle touch of a hand and, somewhat paradoxically, stunning images of natural beauty. Some critics thought Jolie’s use of beauty weakened the film, but I found it haunting. It brought to mi
“One ship against the three of us? They are outnumbered.” ~ Sergeant Azima Kandie in the “ Detect, Deceive, Destroy” episode of The Last Ship If you read this blog, you know I’m a fan of disaster and sci-fi stories, so it will come as no surprise that The Last Ship is part of my regular summer viewing. The TNT action-drama, which wrapped up its fourth season this month, centers on the crew of the U.S.S. Nathan James after a global pandemic wipes out over 80 percent of the world’s population. The crew of the U.S. Navy ship spends the first three seasons finding and distributing a cure and the fourth tracking down and finding the solution to a plant virus that threatens to wipe out the world’s food supply. The last season or two has slipped into a more formulaic format than the first two. As Captain Chandler has transformed from a vulnerable father and mourning husband struggling with the consequences and costs of leadership into your standard hulked-out action h