The Act of Killing
Directors: Joshua Oppenheimer and Christine Cynn
Denmark / Norway / UK
2012, 116 minutes
Screening: March 2nd
At first blush, it is hard to envision how a graying septuagenarian with a penchant for dancing the Cha Cha could be one of Indonesia most ruthless killers. But, former paramilitary leader Anwar Congo looking more grampa than gangster, is just that man. The elation he exudes in the retelling of his murderous exploits is the bedrock of this confession based documentary, The Act of Killing.
When the government of President Sukamo was overthrown by the military in 1965, Anwar and his cohorts joined in the mass murder of more than a million intellectuals, communist youth and ethnic Chinese. Colourfully dubbed Gangster by his inner circle, Anwar reconnects with influentially corrupt politicians and publishing magnates as they reminisce over systematic exterminations with glee. It’s the gangster films he watched as a youth that inspired and influenced his murderous techniques in the military. The detailed re-enactments are right out of an Indonesian version of central casting. From Spaghetti Westerns to Mafia movies to American horror films, the disconnect of Anwar’s cinematic convictions would be unconscionable to any rational person.
Directors Joshua Oppenheimer and Christine Cynn make effective use of juxtaposition as an idyllic Indonesian countryside serves up a lazy day of fishing with Anwar and his old executioner pal Adi which quickly turns into a scene from the Manchurian Candidate as talk of eviscerations and strangulations pepper the conversation. Anwar is now facing difficulty sleeping as he wrestled with the ghosts of all those he’s murder is starting to weigh heavy. And no matter how much he tries to sanitises his action through superficial empathy, those ghosts will not leave.
The Act of Killing maybe one man’s cathartic journey for forgiveness through cinematic re-enactments or a salacious attempt at self promotion. Either way, this barbaric chapter in Indonesia’s history retold through a paramilitary killing machine shows a dis association to human life which is rarely seen yet alone celebrated. But try as he may, Anwar will never find solace, certainly not through film.
Review: 4.5 /5 – This Act of Killing was no act.
