The Act of Killing
2012 · TMDB 7.7
Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer
After befriending documentarian Joshua Oppenheimer, former Indonesian death squad leaders reenact their real-life mass killings in the style of various American 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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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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