Enemies of the People

Play trailer

Enemies of the People

2010

1h 33m

Documentary

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

33 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Over 10 years' time, journalist Thet Sambath elicits confessions of the Cambodian genocide under Pol Pot's regime, getting answers about the evils that destroyed his own family.

Leslie Felperin

Variety

Feb 23, 2012

In the watchable, melancholy Enemies of the People, Cambodian journalist Thet Sambath metaphorically tills the killing fields of his country in search of answers to why so many people, including members of his own family, were slain by the Khmer Rouge.

Go to Full Review

Philip French

Guardian

Dec 27, 2010

A fascinating documentary that illustrates Georges Bernanos's famous dictum: "La colre des imbciles remplit le monde."

Go to Full Review

Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

Dec 15, 2010

4/5

This astonishing documentary by Cambodian journalist Thet Sambath, whose entire family was killed by the Khmer Rouge, gets as near as anyone has done to discovering how and why the killing fields happened.

Go to Full Review

David Harris

Spectrum Culture

Oct 28, 2019

3.5/5

A painful reminder of the fragility of human life.

Go to Full Review

Brian D. Johnson

Maclean's Magazine

Aug 26, 2019

The result is a film within a film, the portrait of a devoted artist trying to get to the root of incomprehensible events that destroyed his family.

Go to Full Review

James Plath

Movie Metropolis

Feb 23, 2012

8/10

Like Chillingworth's investigations of the minister Dimmesdale in Hawthorne's "Scarlet Letter," Sambath's conversations with Brother Number 2 and other killers aren't just reporter's interviews. They're attempts to cleanse and purge the heart.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Gabriel R

@gabejska Jul 6, 2026

Very impactful film that uncovers primary accounts of one of the worst genocides in modern history

See more

Richard B

@RichardB12314 May 27, 2025

Methodically put together collection of interviews of the killers for the Khmer Rouge.

See more

David B

@RT87165717 Oct 20, 2015

A very powerful film, this is one of those films that keeps in your mind for days, trying to digest what you have seen and heard in this film. I am 54 and I have been around and seen things in my years, but it still shocks me to see what man kind can do to each other, its one crazy world we live in, and you wonder why I do believe there is no GOD out there. A must see film, very ,very good.

See more

Apr 28, 2013

Personal, in depth and up front disclosure of some of the most terrofying events in Cambodias recent history brought to viewers by Thet Sambath. Excellent insight into the minds behind the Killing Fields of Cambodia.

See more

Feb 15, 2012

Shocking, striking, extraordinary documentary. A must see.

See more

Jan 26, 2012

Excellent film, heart-wrenching documentary

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Rob Lemkin

Director

Thet Sambath

Director

Thet Sambath

Actor

Rob Lemkin

Screenwriter

Rob Lemkin

Producer

Thet Sambath

Producer

Golden Slumbers

100%

56%

Golden Slumbers

Watchlist

The Tillman Story

94%

91%

The Tillman Story

Watchlist

The Cove

95%

94%

The Cove

Watchlist

The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

96%

90%

The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Critics Consensus: Dinner for Schmucks Serves Up An OK Time

View more photos

Synopsis

Over 10 years' time, journalist Thet Sambath elicits confessions of the Cambodian genocide under Pol Pot's regime, getting answers about the evils that destroyed his own family.

Director: Rob Lemkin, Thet Sambath
Producer: Rob Lemkin, Thet Sambath
Screenwriter: Rob Lemkin
Distributor: International Film Circuit [us]
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 30, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 8, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $73.2K
Runtime: 1h 33m

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings