The Act of Killing
2012 · TMDB 7.7
Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer
In this chilling and groundbreaking documentary, former Indonesian death squad leaders reenact their real-life mass killings in the style of various film genres. As they recreate their past atrocities, the line between reality and performance blurs, exposing the lingering impact of Indonesia's 1965-66 anti-communist purge and the unsettling psychology of its perpetrators.
Why it matters
Joshua Oppenheimer's staggering documentary has Indonesian death-squad leaders re-enact their killings in the style of their favourite Hollywood genres. The result is a surreal and horrifying meditation on memory, guilt, and performance.
From The Camera as Weapon
- Runtime
- 159 min
- Released
- 2012-11-01
- Studio
- Final Cut for Real
- Country
- Denmark
- Language
- Indonesian
- TMDB score
- 7.7
KinoChain appearances
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Connected films
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Linked through chains, directors and neighbouring cinema.
Capturing the Friedmans
Previous in chain · The Camera as Weapon
The King of Comedy
Next in chain · The Camera as Weapon
Primetime
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The Truman Show
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Network
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A Shock to the System
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Nightcrawler
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The End
Same director
Oppenheimer
Related by genre
Schindler's List
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People
Key contributors
-
Joshua Oppenheimer
Director
-
Anwar Congo
Self - Executioner in 1965
-
Herman Koto
Self - Gangster & Paramilitary Leader
-
Syamsul Arifin
Self - Governor of North Sumatra
-
Ibrahim Sinik
Self - Newspaper Publisher
-
Yapto Soerjosoemarno
Self - Leader of Pancasila Youth
-
Safit Pardede
Self - Local Paramilitary Leader
-
Jusuf Kalla
Self - Vice President of Indonesia
-
Adi Zulkadry
Self - Fellow Executioner in 1965
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