This Danish-British-Norwegian documentary exposes the chilling history of Indonesia in the mid-1960s during which about half a million people were murdered by a movement started by the Indonesian Army. The main targets were Communists and ethnic Chinese. Some of the gangster-murderers are interviewed and asked to use actors, props, and settings to re-enact the murders they undertook.
This sinister approach has some interesting payoffs. The thugs, who were never persecuted, believe that they and their history are being glorified. The paramilitary organization in which they continue to take part is exposed as radical, subversive, and dangerous.
For me, the initial shock of being in the presence of such evil wore off after about twenty minutes or so. Then, the interviewees became dull and uninteresting which could only be expected from those who badly lack conscience and soul.
The ending is quite riveting and makes it almost worth having waited the two hours for it. However, two hours still seems like a long ride for a journey that feels grueling.
It is a good history lesson but not for the faint of heart.
This sinister approach has some interesting payoffs. The thugs, who were never persecuted, believe that they and their history are being glorified. The paramilitary organization in which they continue to take part is exposed as radical, subversive, and dangerous.
For me, the initial shock of being in the presence of such evil wore off after about twenty minutes or so. Then, the interviewees became dull and uninteresting which could only be expected from those who badly lack conscience and soul.
The ending is quite riveting and makes it almost worth having waited the two hours for it. However, two hours still seems like a long ride for a journey that feels grueling.
It is a good history lesson but not for the faint of heart.