15 Best War Movies On Netflix Right Now
8. First They Killed My Father
From one Angelina Jolie picture to the next, this 2017 war drama switches focus from the Second World War to 1970s Cambodia, during the rule of the Khmer Rouge and their subsequent genocide of around two million Cambodians.
The focus of the film is Loung Ung, whose memoir forms the basis of the plot. As her siblings are sent to labor camps across the country, Ung finds herself trained as a child soldier, learning how to fight and being subject to constant streams of propaganda as she looks for her family and attempts to keep herself alive.
A film about childhood as much as it is about the harsh reality and futility of war, First They Killed My Father is Jolie's finest achievement as a director and a modern masterclass in uncompromising, informative and frank filmmaking.
Given the focus on genocide and the lives of children during a tragic and cruel time in human history, it can be hard to watch in places, but thanks to its clever structure, sweeping scenery and brilliant direction, it is nonetheless a film that demands to be seen.