Vietnam In Pol Pot's Communist Regime

The Killing Fields offers a look into Cambodia towards the end of the Vietnam War and throughout Pol Pot’s Communist Regime, in which Khmer Rouge, a faction of the Cambodian people, took over the country. An interesting scene occurs when the movie opens with the Americans depicted as aggressors invaders- especially when there are news and depictions of the aftermath of an American bomb landing in a different Cambodian city- a scene that captures the bombings of the countries surrounding Vietnam during the war. However, things quickly change. At first glance, it appears that a faction of the Cambodians- the Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot, is in fact invading its own people. At the same time, however, the journalists/foreigners, the Vietnamese attackers, and even Pran himself can be seen as invaders.

Millions are killed in the take-over and during the regime as the Khmer Rouge attempts to kill off anyone who may have had education and anyone who may potentially work against it. At the same time, the journalists also appear to be invaders as they insert themselves into the ongoing events and try to take pictures and stories even after their countries have extracted themselves and they are no longer welcome. Towards the end of the movie, we learn that Pol Pot and the leaders of the Khmer Rouge are getting restless due to the Vietnamese attackers- this can be seen as invasion from the Khmer Rouge (the government in charge at the time) even though these attacks eventually help free the Cambodians trapped in the work camps and lead to the fall of the Khmer Rouge. Pran, the protagonist of the tale, too invades- although he is trying to free himself and is considered the protagonist, he is like a spy invading his