Duch, Master of the Forges of Hell

While focuses on the guards from secret prison camp S21, zooms in on Duch, commander of this infamous punishment camp where 12,380 met their deaths at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. Interviewed in prison during his trial, this frail elderly man talks in cold, almost abstract terms of the horrors that took place under his command. The prisoners were seen as animals, walking corpses – there was never any intention of releasing them. But then again, other camps were even worse, Duch assures us. Panh’s documentary confirms the banality of mass murderers noted by philosopher Hannah Ahrendt. Duch refers to his involvement with the Khmer Rouge as a strategy for survival, in the same way that suppressing painful memories is also a way to survive – not only because this saves him from asking himself difficult questions, but it also means he needn’t answer those asked by others. It is difficult to say what this man really thinks and feels. His conversion to Christianity could be prompted simply by the forgiveness this religion offers, but it could equally be a sign of genuine contrition. Once again, it turns out that to make simple judgments about the nature of evil is often to distort the facts.