The film lacks LGBTQ+ characters or any exploration of non-heteronormative identities. The narrative focuses entirely on the geopolitical crisis of the Khmer Rouge era.

The story centers on male-driven investigative journalism, with American and French correspondents holding the primary agency. This reinforces traditional gender hierarchies within professional roles of the era.

While protagonists are white males, the supporting cast is predominantly East Asian. The film engages with post-colonial themes, though the investigative lens remains filtered through Western perspectives.

The film offers a profound critique of radical ideologies by depicting the destruction of religious institutions. It explores the breakdown of social orders and the horror of systemic social engineering.

Physical and psychological traumas are depicted as results of state-sponsored violence. These portrayals focus on collective victimhood rather than providing characters with specific disability-related agency.