A foreign film…an independent foreign film…a independent foreign documentary. That’s what The Act of Killing is, and so, naturally, very few people in the United States will ever even hear of it, let alone watch it. Still, those that do catch it are going to be watching one of the most subtly audacious and thought-provoking documentaries I’ve ever seen.
What Works: In 1965, Indonesia experienced a military coup that saw the systematic executions of “communists” (mostly intellectuals, the elite, and chinese immigrants) and the recruiting of gangsters to lead death squad units to help carry out these killings. A documentary about that crazy time alone would be interesting enough, but The Act of Killing sets up a wildly original hook: It tracks down several of the former thugs-turned-paramilitary executioners and asks them to recreate their killings in whatever ways they wish. Seeing mass murderers go about gleefully re-staging their “interrogations” (that only ever resulted in a “guilty” verdict so they could execute whoever was in the military’s way) has a surreal, through-the-looking-glass quality to it that defies belief. What we’re watching isn’t just chilling——how can these men not feel more for their victims?—–it’s a revealing portrait of what happens to “soldiers” when you dehumanize their enemy. The defenses that the former “soldiers” (and the Indonesian government seems to have high opinion of gangsters) use to justify their crimes could speak volumes about any civil war or purge.
The two main death squad leaders we follow are Herman Koto——fat, worthless, corrupt, but just jolly enough to make murder seem like a social event——and the more complex Anwar Congo. Anwar is the only one on film who seems to feel any remorse at what he’s done but it only gradually trickles out beneath his ultra-cocky demeanor. The film’s final minutes (in which Anwar plays the victim in a movie about his crimes, leading to a real moment of truth for him) will likely stay with you all year.
[Bonus points for the scene where Koto/Anwar are filming the recreation of their murders, and suddenly stop for evening prayer, a greater example of irony couldn’t be topped by fiction.]
What I Would Have Done Differently: Although I found the film to be fascinating whether we were watching Congo recruiting actors for his “recreation” or watching another death squad leader take his family to an opulent shopping mall, I’ll admit that others may be a little bored. [Don’t watch this film if you’re drowsy.] What we’re seeing isn’t visibly outrageous, and you’ll have to really think beneath the surface to appreciate the film. Is the pacing a problem? Maybe. Quite simply, you’ll probably love this documentary or hate it, and there will be just as many who will hate it.
What I Would Have Done Differently: If this sounds at all like your cup of tea, please buy a ticket or pay money to see it when it comes to DVD or On Demand. Documentaries like this——that actually change the way people think——are perhaps the most important type of films there are.