Every now and then a documentary comes along that's very very special indeed. The Act of Killing is one of these films.
This film is concerned with the Indonesian military coup of 1965, in the aftermath of which over 1 million civilians were murdered. These horrific purges were enacted upon those accused of communism and also the ethnic Chinese. The narrative probes into the motivations, minds and hearts of the executioners, criminals, gangsters and paramilitaries sanctioned by the government to carry out genocide.
Joshua Oppenheimer handles the material of his documentary with masterful deftness and it becomes clear from the outset that he has a deep understanding of the Indonesian people as well as genuine love and respect for them. This comes loudly and clearly through the camera.
Many other things also come out of this particular Pandora 's Box, and most of them are excruciatingly difficult to watch. These are men who are both a product of their environment and who are also undoubtedly pure monsters in their own right too. They give the usual excuses and the usual answers to the burning questions- no different to any other war criminal has throughout history. In this sense they are mundane. What is different about this film is the sense of arrogant entitlement, impunity and infallibility displayed by evil men and captured by Oppenheimer. This impunity is all consuming, almost tangible and about as ghastly a thing as any human being will ever witness.
If you do choose to witness it however, you will gain something valuable from the experience. This film was made to give voice to victims and it does this in spades. It was made to right wrongs, and as a testament. For this reason, it is worth your time to watch it and to learn from it.
I don't want to talk too much about any specific content, as it really speaks for itself. Suffice it to say that in terms of content this is NOT entertainment and is NOT suitable for everybody as upsetting scenes are thematically unavoidable, if you don't find The Act of Killing disturbing then you're probably not a human being. It is certainly NOT a documentary for children or younger teenagers- the content will be lost on them and it may be too graphic and disturbing for them.
To put it into perspective, I honestly think that Oppenheimer's work can be held up on a par with Claude Lanzmann's Shoah both in it's vivid depiction of true human evil and the lending of voice to the dead. The Act of Killing may also be compared to Shoah in as much as it is an important historical document which just happens to be forged in the medium of film.
Rating The Act of Killing seems inappropriate and largely irrelevant but I suppose it has to receive a 10 if anything at all.
This film is concerned with the Indonesian military coup of 1965, in the aftermath of which over 1 million civilians were murdered. These horrific purges were enacted upon those accused of communism and also the ethnic Chinese. The narrative probes into the motivations, minds and hearts of the executioners, criminals, gangsters and paramilitaries sanctioned by the government to carry out genocide.
Joshua Oppenheimer handles the material of his documentary with masterful deftness and it becomes clear from the outset that he has a deep understanding of the Indonesian people as well as genuine love and respect for them. This comes loudly and clearly through the camera.
Many other things also come out of this particular Pandora 's Box, and most of them are excruciatingly difficult to watch. These are men who are both a product of their environment and who are also undoubtedly pure monsters in their own right too. They give the usual excuses and the usual answers to the burning questions- no different to any other war criminal has throughout history. In this sense they are mundane. What is different about this film is the sense of arrogant entitlement, impunity and infallibility displayed by evil men and captured by Oppenheimer. This impunity is all consuming, almost tangible and about as ghastly a thing as any human being will ever witness.
If you do choose to witness it however, you will gain something valuable from the experience. This film was made to give voice to victims and it does this in spades. It was made to right wrongs, and as a testament. For this reason, it is worth your time to watch it and to learn from it.
I don't want to talk too much about any specific content, as it really speaks for itself. Suffice it to say that in terms of content this is NOT entertainment and is NOT suitable for everybody as upsetting scenes are thematically unavoidable, if you don't find The Act of Killing disturbing then you're probably not a human being. It is certainly NOT a documentary for children or younger teenagers- the content will be lost on them and it may be too graphic and disturbing for them.
To put it into perspective, I honestly think that Oppenheimer's work can be held up on a par with Claude Lanzmann's Shoah both in it's vivid depiction of true human evil and the lending of voice to the dead. The Act of Killing may also be compared to Shoah in as much as it is an important historical document which just happens to be forged in the medium of film.
Rating The Act of Killing seems inappropriate and largely irrelevant but I suppose it has to receive a 10 if anything at all.