The Act of Killing is a remarkable and stomach churning documentary
that allows several mass murders to tell the story of their crimes in their own
words and through dramatic re-enactments. Following a US backed military coup
that resulted in a decades long, right wing dictatorship, somewhere in the
region of 500,000 to 2.5 million Indonesians and ethnic Chinese were killed at
the hands of Government backed ‘gangsters’ and paramilitaries. Today, nearly
half a century later there has been no apology for these heinous crimes and
many of the murders are revered as heroes. This film focuses on several of the
now ageing killers.
The film is unlike any
documentary I’ve seen before. It avoids the bias that inevitably accompanies a
documentary feature by allowing the perpetrators to give their own account, in
their own words. The director and occasional questioner Joshua Oppenheimer
avoids leading questions, instead asking the occasional question that’s on all
our minds and allowing those interviewed to answer and elaborate if they feel
necessary. Luckily for us the viewer, they often do. Another thing that makes
this film stand out is that its ‘stars’ are given carte blanch to re-enact
their evil deeds with a full camera crew, make-up, professional lighting and
even prosthetics. It makes for chilling viewing.
