The Act of Killing
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer
This is an exploration of the banality of evil. The film makers decided to approach the butchers and gangsters behind the vicious 1960 Indonesian death squads responsible for the murderous pogroms against communists, and ask these present day villans to act scenes from their killings.
The pride with which these old killers take in re-enacting their crimes is as appalling as the ignorance they seem to have for the enormity of their actions. Watching one explain the simplicity of wire strangulation because it created less blood to slip in is chilling.
How such evil impacts each man decades later is a fascinating psychological event. The guilt that gnaws at some, the bravado that disguises any self-reflection and bewildering disconnect displayed by some are all personal journeys of how each man has tried to cope with the brutal acts of their past.
The imagery is haunting, the poorly acted scenes of violence surprisingly disturbing. NZs complicity in turning a blind eye to these events is not well known, we should watch this documentary to appreciate what our blind eye turning 50 years ago helped go unscrutinized.
3 stars
