I Dreamed About Pol Pot

In 1978, Gunnar Bergström believed that the Khmer Rouge revolution was a good thing, although Cambodian refugees were telling a very different story at the time. As a member of a small Swedish delegation, Bergström made a friendly visit to a country that was otherwise hermetically sealed off to Westerners. Following his return, he defended Pol Pot's regime, having met the man himself. The footage he filmed at the time takes on new meaning in this emotionally charged account of a more recent visit to Cambodia. Thirty years later, Bergström returns to visit places that were hidden from him on his earlier visit -- places such as the Tuol Sleng torture center. He approaches people on the street to ask about their experiences and to express his guilt. Almost every person he meets can recall something about the horrors perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge. The unassuming Swede's expressions of regret are warmly accepted and viewed as a mark of respect, if not entirely comprehended. At a meeting, Bergström attempts to explain how he came to be so misled: the anti-Vietnam War movement had become radicalized and he viewed Pol Pot's Maoist revolution as a positive development. He now recognizes how blind he was.