Movie critics are raving on Twitter about Jolie's new directorial project 'First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers'.
- Sep 4, 2017
AceShowbiz - Despite controversy surrounding its casting method at orphanage where a disturbing game was set up to find the movie's young lead, Angelina Jolie's latest directorial movie "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" got rave reviews at Telluride.
Scott Feinberg called it her "best directorial effort yet." He added, "Might well be a contender beyond the foreign language category." Mark Johnson agreed, describing it as "Brutal, grueling, and deeply personal. The film she was destined to make @AwardsCircuit."
FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER is Angelina Jolie's best directorial effort yet. Might well be a contender beyond the foreign language category.
— Scott Feinberg (@ScottFeinberg) September 2, 2017
First They Killed My Father is Jolie's best work. Brutal, grueling, and deeply personal. The film she was destined to make @AwardsCircuit
— Mark Johnson (@MarkLikesMovies) September 2, 2017
Anne Thompson called it a "powerful big scale Cambodian war drama from the POV of a girl." She added, "Not a dry eye in the house." Kristopher Tapley said the movie was "a bit too long but it is by far Jolie's best film, and quite stunning at stretches."
Angelina Jolie's First They Killed My Father is powerful big scale Cambodian war drama from the POV of a girl. Not a dry eye in the house.
— Anne Thompson (@akstanwyck) September 2, 2017
"First They Killed My Father" is a bit too long but it is by far Jolie's best film, and quite stunning at stretches.
— Kristopher Tapley (@kristapley) September 2, 2017
Eric kohn tweeted, "I've admired aspects of Angelina Jolie's filmmaking across all her work. Now she's delivered her best. #telluride." Tomris Laffly said the movie was "mostly dialogue free, harrowing, at times very moving. Can be tighter, but powerful #Telluride." Sasha Stone gave the actress a "standing ovation" for her latest work.
I've admired aspects of Angelina Jolie's filmmaking across all her work. Now she's delivered her best. #telluride https://t.co/u4viF3k1my
— erickohn (@erickohn) September 2, 2017
Angelina Jolie's First They Killed My Father: mostly dialogue free, harrowing, at times very moving. Can be tighter, but powerful #Telluride
— Tomris Laffly (@TomiLaffly) September 2, 2017
Standing ovation for Angelina's First They Killed My Father.
— Sasha Stone (@AwardsDaily) September 2, 2017
The movie premiered at 2017 Telluride Film Festival on Saturday, September 2 in Colorado. Maddox, 16, Pax, 13, Zahara, 12, Shiloh, 11, and 9-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne supported their mother at the event. After hitting film festival circuit, the film will debut in theaters and start streaming on Netflix on September 15.
The movie takes place in Cambodia from where Maddox was adopted by Angie. It's adapted from Loung Ung's 2000 memoir of the Khmer Rouge genocide. Maddox was credited as an executive producer while Pax whom the actress adopted from Vietnam worked as the film's still photographer.
"Mad has known of Loung's story his whole life, and I told him, 'One day, son, you will be ready and you will tell me it's time to go deeply into your country. But I need your help and you have to work and you have to be there every day and you can't say no and that you are tired,' " the mother of six told The Telegraph. "And one day he said, 'I am ready.' "
